Will LGBTs Be Ignored By Health Care Reform?

In August 2009, I wrote about the LGBTI Health Summit in Chicago. The summit happened as the health care debate was kicking into high gear, and there were hopes that the LGBT community would be adequately represented in any federal legislation.

Now that Congress appears ready to pass health care reform, it is worth noting that the Senate is attempting to strip the bill of measures that would improve LGBT health.

At issue are four provisions in the House bill that directly impact the LGBT community:

• Speeding up the eligibility process for HIV-positive people to receive federal assistance

• Prohibiting discrimination on personal characteristics in delivering health care services.

• Eliminating tax penalties for gay people who include their partners under an employers’ insurance plan

• Asking the Department of Health and Human Services to address health disparities based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The final provision is one I consider to be particularly important. A report from the Center for American Progress showed there are significant differences between LGBTs and heterosexuals on many health issues, including access to care, mental health, cancer, and alcoholism. The statistics for black and Latino LGBTs are especially distressing, likely due to multiple stigmatization across lines of race, sexuality, and income.

Here is a clip from Representative Tammy Baldwin, one of three openly gay people in Congress, speaking on LGBT health disparities:

Please keep an eye on your Senators to see if they support LGBT health. You can also visit the National Coalition For LGBT Health for future updates on this situation.