Federal health officials are moving to shrink the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and several questions about how Americans live with disabilities would not make the cut. Under a draft redesign set to start in 2028, more detailed questions on hearing aids, fatigue, cognition, and mobility aids such as wheelchairs and scooters would be removed, STAT reported on Oct. 1.
The survey would drop from 482 questions to about 150, according to STAT. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not explain why specific disability questions were removed but attributed the changes to an effort to lower data collection costs.
The data matters for families. More than 70 million U.S. adults, or more than 1 in 4, reported a disability in 2022, according to a 2024 CDC release. National survey data on disability helps inform research, programs, and services for these households.
Hearing Aids, Fatigue, and Wheelchairs Left Off the Draft
The NHIS, run by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, has collected data continuously since 1957, and CDC describes it as the nation's largest and oldest national health survey. It has been redesigned only twice before, in 1997 and 2019, according to CDC's 2028 redesign page.
The draft does not remove disability from the survey entirely. The proposed adult questionnaire keeps six basic questions on difficulty seeing, hearing, walking or climbing steps, remembering or concentrating, self-care, and communicating. Those items come from the Washington Group Short Set, an internationally used set of disability screening questions.
What drops away is the detail. The hearing question mentions hearing aids only as part of asking about difficulty hearing, and the draft has no separate items on hearing aid use, wheelchair or other mobility device use, or fatigue. In September, MedicalDaily reported on a CDC analysis of 2024 NHIS data showing that frequent fatigue was most common among adults ages 18 to 34. Without fatigue questions, that kind of finding could be harder to update.
Cost Savings Versus a Thinner Picture of Disability
CDC has laid out its case for change. Its redesign page cites rising costs, growing difficulty reaching households, and the need for a more flexible and efficient survey. Under the plan, households would first be invited to answer online or on paper, and Census Bureau field representatives would follow up in person with some households that do not respond.
The Federal Register notice published Aug. 20 states the goal directly: "To maintain data quality and contain operational costs, a redesign of the NHIS is being planned for implementation in 2028." The notice estimates the redesigned adult questionnaire will take about 35 minutes, compared with 56 minutes for the 2027 version.
Disability researchers argue the savings come at a price. Jean Hall, a disability scholar and professor emerita at the University of Kansas, told STAT that the cuts would mean "we know less about who is disabled in America and what their experiences are."
The concern builds on existing gaps. A 2024 study in the Disability and Health Journal, led by Syracuse University sociologist Scott Landes, analyzed 2011 to 2012 NHIS data on 24,694 adults. It found the Washington Group questions identified less than half of the adults flagged as disabled by the American Community Survey's disability questions. The authors noted that neither question set identifies people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health disabilities, or chronic illness. The study compared existing measures; it did not evaluate the 2028 draft.
Gaps the Agencies Have Not Publicly Addressed
Neither CDC's redesign page nor the Federal Register notice explains where data on hearing aids, mobility devices, or fatigue would come from once those questions leave the survey. HHS did not explain to STAT why the disability items were dropped.
The notice does say the redesigned survey will no longer follow a detailed schedule of topics that rotate on and off years in advance. Officials describe the change as necessary "to both shorten the questionnaire and to preserve an agile and dynamic design that allows for the addition of content on topics of current and emerging interest." That approach could allow topics to be added later, but the notice does not commit to bringing back any specific disability questions.
CDC's 2022 adult disability estimates came from a separate state-based survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The redesign materials do not say whether it or any other survey would collect the measures being cut.
The loss of detail could fall hardest on people whose needs are already hard to count, including adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, older adults with hearing loss, and wheelchair users. In CDC's 2022 data, 43.9% of adults 65 and older reported a disability.
Comment Window Closes Oct. 19
The proposal is not final. The Federal Register notice says written comments must be received on or before Oct. 19, 2026, under Docket No. CDC-2026-1387 on the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Researchers, disability groups, clinicians, and members of the public can submit comments explaining how they use specific NHIS questions.
The proposal does not change anyone's benefits or access to care. The next step to watch is the final questionnaire and whether any of the dropped items are restored.
Key Questions Answered
What is changing in the CDC health survey?
A draft 2028 redesign would shrink the National Health Interview Survey from 482 questions to about 150 and drop several detailed disability questions, STAT reported.
Why is CDC making the change?
CDC cites rising costs, growing difficulty reaching households, and the need for a more flexible and efficient survey. HHS attributed the changes to lowering data collection costs.
Will the survey still ask about disability?
Yes, in a narrower way. The draft keeps six basic Washington Group questions on seeing, hearing, walking, memory and concentration, self-care, and communication.
Who could be most affected by the data loss?
Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, older adults with hearing loss, wheelchair users, and people living with fatigue could become harder to track.
Has CDC said how the gaps would be filled?
Not publicly. Its redesign materials do not explain where the dropped measures would come from.
How can the public weigh in?
Written comments are due Oct. 19, 2026, under Docket No. CDC-2026-1387 on the Federal eRulemaking Portal.
Published by Medicaldaily.com
