Obamacare Offers New Protections for LGBTQ Americans
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: August 19, 2021
As we celebrate LGBTQ Enrollment Week of Action, millions of Americans—including many LGBTQ people—are already covered by health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act. And millions more can get covered before January 31, 2017.
For many in the LGBTQ community, access to health care might not seem like much of a priority. But health is an LGBTQ equality issue. Why? Because the LGBTQ community faces health disparities in areas like obesity, smoking, cancer screening, and HIV. LGBTQ people are disproportionately likely to be uninsured and to face discrimination by health care providers when in need of care.
Health care reform has eliminated many of these barriers. Before the Affordable Care Act, insurers could refuse to cover transgender people or same-sex spouses. Now, every American has guaranteed access to a health insurance plan, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, HIV status, or any other preexisting condition.
The Affordable Care Act protects all LGBTQ people—including non-binary, gender nonconforming, and intersex people—from discrimination in health insurance and health care. Most hospitals or clinics can’t turn away or harass LGBTQ people just for being transgender or in a same-sex relationship. Marketplace plans can’t exclude all transition-related care, which helps ensure that transgender people can access the medically necessary care they need to live a happy and healthy life.
These nondiscrimination protections apply in every state, making coverage and health care better than ever before for LGBTQ people. If you face discrimination from a health insurer or a provider, we urge you to file a complaint with the regional Office for Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr.
Health reform also makes insurance more affordable for many LGBTQ people: in fact, 72 percent of people can find a plan for less than $75 a month. Make a free appointment with an LGBTQ-friendly expert who can help you understand your options.
We know more can and must be done to improve LGBTQ health, but now is the time to make the Affordable Care Act’s protections a reality for millions of LGBTQ people and families across the country.
With financial help and new nondiscrimination protections, there’s never been a better time to be out, be healthy, and get covered. Visit healthcare.gov today and enroll before the December 15 deadline.
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Tags: Affordable Care Act, Disability, LGBT, social security disability benefits
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Tony S.
Stop health insurance coverage of trans-gender hormone therapy that requires Warfarin (Coumadin) only a surgeon can convince them to use heparin for a few days preop, desensitizing them to sex-change penectomy and invagination operations since 2014. Support the survivors of the 2016 gay bar rampage shooting, the deadliest in US history. Klinefelter syndrome people and other transgender people need to stay healthy and keep the LGBT population safe by boycotting Medicaid subsidized Warfarin torture treatment until it is abolished (Sanders ’16 151-152): Maybe they don’t use Warfarin or blood thinners in European transgender hormone therapy?
Sanders, Tony J. Children. Hospitals & Asylums HA-8-12-16 http://www.title24uscode.org/children.doc
United States population estimates are disputed between the Census and Social Security Administration regarding a total US population between 324 million and 330 million, respectively, a difference of 2 percent, in 2015 and 2016. The under age 18 population is estimated between 73.7 million by the American Children Brief , 74.1 million by the US Census and 77.8 million by SSA. 74.9 million Baby Boomers were born 1946-64. 77 million children is the number. The Census has clearly erred with the 22.9% under age 18 revision in 2015 that destroyed the population pyramid and must return to 24% under age 18 used in the 2010 Census. Net population-growth is bolstered by 1 million annual net migrants. The United States has the highest birth rate (12.5 per 1,000 population), infant mortality rate (6.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births and 8 under age 5 deaths per 1,000 ) and maternal mortality rate (32 deaths per 100,000) of any industrialized nation. Since the 1989 the annual estimate of about 4 million births is less than 4 million during Democratic administrations and more than 4 million during Republican administrations under the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1961). More boy than girl babies have been issued social security cards every year since 1940. In 2015 51.2% of babies were boys and 48.8% were girls. However 50.9% of the 2010 census population are female and 49.1% are male. 25% of the world population attend school. 70-100 million people attend school in the United States. At $11,100 per pupil US education spending is the second highest in the world. In 1996 before 10 million Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits were cut 1996-2000, 15% of children were poor, about average for any American. Estimates on the number of poor children growing up in the United States have risen from 16 million to as high as 24 million, 20.8% and 31.2% of the 77 million Social Security Area child population respectively. Child poverty in the United States is the highest of any industrialized country. 22 – 33 percent of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $23,550 a year for a family of four. To end child poverty it is necessary to tax the rich the 12.4% OASDI tax on all their income, SSA would pay $777 child SSI benefits to 16-24 million poor children in the first year (2017?) and end poverty with 50 million SSI benefits by 2020. To keep ahead of consumer price inflation Federal minimum wage needs to be amended to $7.50 in 2017, to $7.75 in 2018 and 8.00 in 2019 and 3% every year thereafter.’ in one final sentence at 29USC§206(a)(1)(D).
FDA Category A drugs that pose no fetal risks in human studies are penicillin, Ampicillin (Principen), cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, clindamycin (Cleocin Oral, Cleocin T), nitrofurantoin (Furadantin, Macrobid, macrodantin, and acyclovir (Zovirax). Amantadine (Symmetrel) for the flu and antipsychotic tic should probably be added to the short list of safe drugs for pregnant women and children. Ethosuximide seems to the safest anticonvulsant drug for pregnant women with epilepsy. Statins are okay for atherosclerosis but heart disease and hypertension are major causes of maternal mortality and pregnant women might be safely treated with Hawthorn the supreme herb for the heart, but it is contraindicated with most high blood pressure medicine. Hydralazine (Apreoline) is often the initial antihypertensive medication of choice, given in 5 mg increments intravenously until an acceptable blood pressure response is obtained. Other antihypertensive drugs used in emergencies are Nifedipine 10 mg po q 4-8 hr. Calculating the correct pediatric dosage of medicine is a ratio of the child’s weight to average adult weight of 70 kg or 150 lb. Clark’s rule is that the child’s dose = adult dose x child’s weight in kg / average adult weight 70 kg. Clindamycin (Cleocin) 350 mg pills for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus in pregnant women and children under the age of 8 who cannot take doxycycline. The pediatric dose for Cleocin is estimated in the monograph to be in the 8-16 mg / kg/ d range. So a 20 kg child would want 160 mg to 320 mg of medicine daily in three or four divided doses of 40 mg to 100 mg. In that same time period an adult would want 1.2 g to 1.8 g in three or four doses of the 350 mg pill. For a 20 kg child the pill could be cut into quarters, and given three or four of the quarters daily, for 5 days. Antibiotic resistant Clostridium difficile can be treated in children with metronidazole (Flagyl ER) 200 mg or 400 mg tablets, but pregnant women cannot take metronidazole because it causes neural tube defects in the first trimester. Stonebreaker (Chanca piedra) treat gall and urinary stones overnight but cannot be used in pregnant women because it might be abortificent. Ampicillin (Principen) 250 g or 500 mg is the preferred drug for the treatment of pneumonia and meningitis in children under the age of 6 months. In the case of penicillin allergy or price Azithromycin (Zithromycin), the world’s best selling broad-spectrum antibiotic, is safe for pregnant women and children over the age of 6 months for the treatment of Streptococcus spp. The rest of the disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) every family should have to cure painful infections include Amantadine (Symmetrel) 100 mg for influenza Type A, 1% clotrimazole (athlete’s foot crème) for infections of the foot and shin and 1% hydrocortisone for allergies, rashes and aspergillosis.
Daniel S.
LGBTQ= Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and either Questioning or Queer often depending on if they consider “Queer” to be derogatory or a more neutral term encompassing people who feel they don’t fit one of those labels or aren’t sure.
dela f.
It’s fine that you claim you are providing affordable health care for all but that is not a correct statement. Health care has become so expensive I know people who are not going to doctors or filling their prescriptions because they cannot afford it. I’m talking about people who are working and trying to make it day to day or retired living on fixed income. It’s wonderful you are providing yet MORE coverage for the LBGTQ but how about affordable coverage for ALL people. This is a sad commentary for your department. Your discrimination is blatant.
Pete H.
You are correct. My wife has Obamacare and we were made to pay the premiums but cannot use it because the deductables are so high. She can hardly buy the meds needed and just to see the Dr we have to pay a upfront cost of $75. This was the worst program ever and it all falls back on the Democrats as they are the soleyones that passed this horrible health care act.
Frayed e.
“MONEY TRUMPS PEACE” – GEORGE BUSH JR.
Daniel S.
It could have been a good program if Obama and Congress had been meticulous to details but instead for the sake of getting it passed Democrats compromised and also pushed it through without paying attention to the details. Massachusetts had universal healthcare since 2006 but since there’s a democrat supermajority the state legislature didn’t have to try to push it through before the next election or worry about it getting vetoed so more thought was put into it and once it went into effect and some flaws became apparent, they passed a bunch of new laws in 2008 fixing it. In 2008 I bought an individual Blue Cross PPO plan with a $1000 deductible but not even any copays for office visits for $315/mo. Now a plan that price would have a $5000 deductible and crappy benefits. Since the ACA went into effect Massachusetts insurance has gotten way worse to comply with federal law. What people never gave Hillary credit for was that she is smart and meticulous enough that she would think of all the little details and I think she could have fixed Obamacare, but now we’ll never know.
AKA
The Democrats wrote the details and those that didn’t refused to read it.
Daniel S.
I know, I’m just saying Massachusetts has shown it can work if it is drafted well. I agree this was not drafted well and that Democrats shouldn’t have passed a crappy bill just to get it through before the next election.
AKA
SS and Medicare is not providing MORE medical care for the LBGTQ community. You are led to believe that because some genius decided that a Obamacare subject needed to be aired on this SSA site. SS has changed definitions for spousal benefits, that’s all.
Daniel S.
Is there any information on this topic for people on Medicare? I’m disabled, in my 30s, and started Medicare a few months ago and a lot of the doctors either don’t know about many of the tests gay men are supposed to have or say to go to a gay health clinic but most of those clincs aren’t contracted with Medicare.
Mar
You’re on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) rather than Medicare, right? Would you have Medicaid and SSI, too? If you’re on SSDI in your thirties, you should be able to get care anywhere that Medicaid is accepted. Sometimes you have to do a search or have someone do it for you, but it can be done.
Daniel S.
I get SSDI but that’s not health insurance. That’s that government’s equivalent of an employer’s long-term disability except SSDI doesn’t pay as much. To be eligible for SSDI instead of SSI you have to have worked long enough and paid enough social security taxes out of your paycheck to qualify, just like you need to have worked long enough to collect retirement social security. Anyone who has been on SSDI for 24 months automatically gets enrolled in Medicare. If you are disabled and didn’t work enough to get SSDI you might qualify for SSI but in order to get SSI your income has to be below 75% of the poverty level and they only pay the difference to bring your income up to 75%. If you get SSI you automatically qualify for Medicaid, not Medicare. Some people can qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid while on SSDI if their SSDI and assets are within Medicaid limits. This is the case for me since I was in my 20s when I became disabled. I had worked enough to get SSDI but since I was in college part of the time and then entry levels jobs for a few years before becoming disabled my average income was pretty low. I’m what they call a “dual-eligible” which is good and bad. The good is that I pay pretty much nothing. Medicaid pays my Medicare premium, deductible, and coinsurance and the federal government caps copays for prescriptions for duals to $3.70 for brand, $1.40 generic. While this sound great, in order for Medicaid to pay your deductible and coinsurance you have to see someone that accepts both Medicaid and Medicare so instead of having the nationwide network, I have less doctors than if I had Medicaid alone. Technically I could go to someone who doesn’t take Medicaid and they legally can’t bill me, but all that does is make you not ever be able to get an appointment. Even the doctors that do take both don’t like you though because Medicaid doesn’t pay the Medicare amount for the coinsurance, they pay what Medicaid would have paid which often is less than the 80% Medicare already paid so the doctor never gets the coinsurance. For the first few months I was paying out of pocket for a medicare supplement plan just so I could still see any doctor without them getting pissed but the care wasn’t all that much better so I cancelled it last month. The good thing about SSDI vs SSI is that I can save or invest and still get paid regardless of income whereas SSI you get kicked off of if you make more than $733/mo and have more than $2000 in assets. I could get kicked off of Medicaid if I make more than 150% of the poverty level though and I’d have to make significantly more than that to offset the loss of the premium, deductible and coinsurance payments and the cap on rx copays. Sorry for the long response. BTW, you’re somewhat right about the Medicaid provider thing, but it depends on the state. Some states, mainly ones that still use fee-for-service for Medicaid, will still let you see any Medicaid provider if you qualify for both. In Massachusetts (where I live) Medicaid is divided into 4 or 5 managed care organizations that aside from that they get paid by the state, they’re essentially separate insurance companies so once you qualify for Medicare you can’t still stay in the managed care organization so the only services you still can get directly through Medicaid are behavioral health and dental. The rest you have to see a Medicare provider and have Medicare pay the 80% before the state will pay anything.
AKA
The SSI resource limit is 1500 dollars not 2000.
Daniel S.
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-resources.htm
“To get SSI, your countable resources must not be worth more than $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple. We call this the resource limit.”
R.F.
Your information is correct Daniel. Thanks for your comment and participation!
R.F.
The limit for countable resources is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. See Understanding Supplemental Security Income SSI Resources — 2016 Edition.
mathew p.
one way or another they will find a way to piss away our ss that we WORKED FOR
Frayed e.
Hey – be very grateful you were able to obtain Medicare, Missouri fails (in so many ways) to, actually refuses Medicare to individuals unable to work more over anyone claiming $0.00 earnings DO NOT QUALIFY TO RECIEVE ANY HEALTH COVERAGE (medicare) FURTHERMORE IF YOUR IMPOVERISHED BELOW A CERTIAN THRESHOLD (idk what the amnt. Is) MISSOURI EVEN REFUSES TAX CREDITS TO THAT PERSON.
Now, MISSOURI is very empathetic and generous/understanding in lieu of the “EXEMPTION” completely impoverished individuals “MAY RECEIVE” by not being forced to pay “PENALTY FEE FOR BEING POOR OR BELOW POVERTY LEVEL”
I MUST ADD MISSOURI JUDGES (the two i had the unfortunate hearing of) –
• • MISSOURI JUDGES KNOW MORE THAN THE CERTIFIED PHYSICIANS (MEDICAL DOCTORS.. BOTH PHYSICAL & MENTAL) WHOM I HAVE SEEN FOR YEARS & CONCLUDED AS WELL AS FULLY COOPERATED IN THE “FILLING OUT OF TOTALLY REDUNDANT & RIDICULOUS FORMS” WHOM HAVE NO REASON TO LIE BUT ONLY TRUTH AS THEIR CAREERS AND FREEDOM ARE AT RISK IN DOING SO…
– needless to say ( but i will ) IM COMPLETELY & TOTALLY BESIDE MYSELF – for a lack of more adequate & descriptive grammar to my feelings tward this so, so obvious corrupt “system” completely “on the take”… AS LITERALLY ANY AMERICAN KNOWS –
“MONEY TRUMPS PEACE” – GEORGE BUSH JR.
Daniel S.
I totally agree about the inequities and money. I think you might have Medicare and Medicaid confused though. Medicare eligibility is decided by the federal government and is based solely on being eligible for SSDI regardless of your income. A person is eligible for SSDI based on how many work credits they’ve paid into social security towards retirement whereas SSI only qualifies you for Medicaid and is based on you being below 75% of the poverty level, disabled and not eligible for SSDI. Since Medicaid is run by the states the coverage and income limits vary greatly. The states that didn’t expand Medicaid with Obamacare still may have the old Medicaid rules which were 50% of the poverty level or being eligible for SSI in which case it would be 75% of the poverty level. Also, some states pay SSI recipients an additional amount over what the federal government pays which is usually based on your housing expenses, age and type of disability. For Instance, the base pay by the federal gov’t for SSI this year for a 1 person household where you shared living expenses is $733 (household is defined by tax purposes not how many people live there). If you don’t pay any rent though they subtract one third from that. In Massachusetts you get an additional payment which can be anywhere from $20 if you are single, under 65, don’t pay rent, and disabled but not blind or deaf. If the same person paid rent, not only would they get the third back from the federal gov’t but they would get about $100 from the state and if the person lived alone or paid more than 50% of the rent it would be about $180 from the state. If that person were blind or deaf the amount would be in the 300s or 400s. If the person was over 65 it would be in the 200s. I don’t have a problem with the blind and deaf thing per say since those are very difficult but the age thing bothers me because you can be eligible for SSI once you’re 65 even if you aren’t disabled if you are low income. That 65 year old may feel perfectly fine and have no medical expenses but gets paid more than someone under 65 who has to be disabled and probably has lots of medical expenses. Massachusetts is like that with a lot of things. 85% of subsidized housing is allocated to people over 65 regardless of disability or income. The other 15% is allotted to people under 65 who have to be low income and disabled. So not only is there way less housing for the disabled, but the wait list is also longer because the old people keep dying and leaving vacancies for more old people but the 15% for disabled under 65 could be occupied by the same person for 40-50 years.
Back to your comment though, the fact that so many people can’t get that if people are able to get healthy to be able to work they can actually start to become self-sufficient and non need assistance is just beyond me. During the recession everyone was saying we have to cut benefits because of the economy. Isn’t that the purpose of benefits–to help people when they actually need it, not when the economy is great and everyone does have a job? The government isn’t a for-profit business, it’s supposed to be the protector when those for-profit businesses screw people over. If we’re able to be trillions of dollars in debt from wars and subsidies to oil companies and corn farmers because we can’t get along with Latin America for real sugar, I think we can spare the couple million that goes towards public assistance.
AKA
If you are on Medicare you can go to any health care provider you want to go to, so shop around.
Daniel S.
Technically, but see my response I just posted to “Mar” above.
Manuel S.
WHAT ABOUT PREMIUMS DUE TO INCREASE BY THREE FOLD NEXT YEAR ?
Dee
you can thank the greedy insurance companies for the premium increases — the government cannot control private enterprise. Private companies can set their prices at whatever they want, regardless of what product or service they sell.
Julie B.
Don’t forget the greedy Drug Companies, too!
Ella
I’m so glad that the intrenet allows free info like this!
Manuel S.
CLIENTS REPORTING INSURANCE PROVIDERS DROPPING AN HMO WITHOUT NOTICE OR WARNING.
HOSPITALS FINDING PATIENTS UNINSURED WITHOUT NOTICE.
PATIENTS EXCLUDED WITHOUT REASON OR PRIOR NOTICE DUE TO OBAMA CARE.
Stormy
on 9. Juli 2012 You have presented interesting and valid points that are thovoht-prougking in my opinion. I’m glad to see a writer care so much about writing good content. I agree with this. Your work is most impressive.
Minnie
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Latasha
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John
SPAMMER POS
edward i.
What can I say, I did not see an explanation!
Susan
With all do respect the LBGTQ community, I thought that “Queer” was a word that was very offensive to the LBGTQ community. I was taught never to define a gay person as Queer.
Please explain how this expression has changed from offensive to what is currently spoken?
Donna
I’ll second that need for a translation. I must have missed the abbreviation for TQ?
edward i.
Pls translate LGBTQ
dela f.
LBGTQ Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Queer
LBGTQ Lesbian Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Questioning
source: thefreedictionary.com take your pick
Bill J.
Bunch of sick people they don’t deserve any health care because whatever they got they brought it on there self
with their Wicked Ways
Heather
Your comment was…so unnecessary… You are not required to share with others every thought that comes into your head… especially if you’re just being a mean and hateful person.