Many LGBT Americans Without Health Insurance

WASHINGTON () -- Living without health insurance is twice as likely to occur among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans as it is for non-gay adults. This growing problem leads The National Coalition for LGBT Health to join individuals and organizations across the nation in recognizing Cover the Uninsured Week, May 1-8, 2005. 

According to a 2002 survey released jointly by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive, only 70% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adults said they had health insurance coverage, compared to 86% of non-gay adults. Of those who reported that they have insurance, 63% of GLBT adults are covered through their employer compared to 59% of non-gay adults. The gap in insurance for LGBT employees exists because most employers in the U.S. do not offer health insurance for LGBT partners (domestic partner benefits). 

“We want to raise awareness of this initial survey and to encourage further research into the unequal access to health insurance faced by LGBT families,” said Coalition Co-chair, David Haltiwanger. “Until our relationships are formally recognized by our employers, insurance companies, and the government, far too many members of the LGBT community will be unable to find affordable health insurance and will go without needed healthcare.”

While gay and non-gay individuals both list their employer as the most common source of health insurance, being covered on a partner’s insurance is a second significant source of coverage for non-gay adults (14%). By contrast, only 3% of the GLBT respondents said they receive health insurance through a same-sex partner. Even when employers offer domestic partner benefits, many LGBT employees do not apply for them because revealing their sexual orientation may put them at risk of anti-gay bias. Another potential cause for the insurance gap may be the numbers of LGBT people who work in low wage occupations, e.g. the service trades, or may be unemployed or underemployed because of discrimination in the workplace. 

“This research highlights the opportunity to reduce the numbers of uninsured by addressing the inequality in the system across the board,” said Henia Handler, Co-Chair of the Coalition. “The LGBT family understands this crisis because we are over-represented among the 45 million uninsured in the United States. We must work together to guarantee that every American has access to quality healthcare.”