Statement by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on LGBT Health Awareness Week 2012:
LGBT Health Awareness Week is an important time to highlight the progress our country is making to address the unique health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans, especially through implementation of the health care law, the Affordable Care Act.
Studies have shown that
health disparities related to sexual orientation and gender identity are
due in part to lower rates of health coverage and a lack of cultural
competency in the health
care system. The Affordable Care Act is already helping millions of
Americans gain access to care by creating coverage options for people
with pre-existing conditions, and under the law, beginning in 2014,
every American will have access to health care through
Affordable Insurance Exchanges, new competitive marketplaces where
Americans will be able to purchase affordable coverage and have the same
choices of insurance that members of Congress will have. These same
benefits are or will be available to LGBT Americans
across the country.
The Affordable Care Act
also strengthens training for health care providers, devotes new
resources to improving our primary care workforce, and increases funding
for community health centers,
where patients are served regardless of how much they can afford to
pay. We know that members of the LGBT community may be more likely to
be underinsured or uninsured, making the Affordable Care Act all the
more important.
In addition, the
Department of Health and Human Services continues to address the
specific health concerns of LGBT Americans, including by working to
incorporate data collection on LGBT populations
into national health surveys, releasing rules requiring hospitals to
allow same-sex partners the ability to visit each other in the hospital,
and setting up an internal working group that ensures we are
effectively coordinating policies to best address LGBT
health needs across every agency in the Department.
Our Department is
committed to improving the health of all Americans, including LGBT
Americans, and we look forward to continuing this work during LGBT
Health Awareness Week and beyond.
For more information on how the Department is working to improve LGBT Health and Well-being, visit
http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/about/lgbthealth_update_2011.html.
Read the Departments recommendations for future LGBT Health improvements at
http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/about/lgbthealth.html
Learn how health reform is giving LGBT Americans more control over their health care at
http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/01/new-options-for-lgbt-americans.html