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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Anthony J.
What happens when you notify the FTC about I dentity Theft I receive no relief. Direct Bank deposits rerouted to closed accounts and Medicaid Records and Prescription drug records altered. This from a Recovering Cancer Patient. This is not a local law enforcement issue. It crosses multiple state jurisdictions. I believe that the FTC claim number was fraudulent.
Please Advise : or offer an appointment at Headquarters. I had written to Kathleen S
and she did thank me for my support of the ACA.
A.C.
We’re sorry to hear you’re having this problem. Please contact the Federal Trade Commission for identity theft issues. You can call them at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). Thanks.
Gr
I am ,white ,strait,american, 56 years,old disabled after 35 tears of wmaoff. I think the only thing I have in common with this bunch is my disability. I pay taxes on my on ssdi and help my WIFE as much as I can,
Via condios amigo
Comp.bil
I think this deal about making anyone a beneficiary of SSI,or SSDI, or any program that originated from the original SS, system, should be, and hopefully, will be repealed, back to its status, pre- Obama. Hopefully, between,Pres. Trump, and the majority leader of the house, to rectify the robbing of SS, That system was the only system that survived congress for over 20 years. Congress could not legally take the money, so they crafted a loan, without any terms, which in ever ones eyes is still stealing. When the put that money back with the interest that was lost, Social Security will be solvent, well in to the next millinum.
AKA
The “loan” was covered with Treasury notes which pays % into the SS trust funds. Nothing was stolen.
R.F.
Social Security taxes collected from today’s workers pay the benefits of today’s retirees. Any funds in excess of what is needed to pay today’s benefits are invested in special issue, U.S. Government, interest-bearing securities. This investment – the purchase of U.S. Government securities – is what constitutes the “borrowing” that people are sometimes concerned about. Any funds that have been “borrowed” from the Social Security Trust Funds have always been paid back in full, plus interest. Please check out our Trust Fund Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.
tony
How can the other funds pay back the money it borrowed from the OASI trust fund for retired people when they are broke.
The Disability Insurance trust fund is broke and it borrowed money and is expected to go broke again in 2023.
The US Military that borrowed most of the money is broke too. They even tried to get back the bonuses from the National Guard members who re-enlisted.
The OASI trust fund is the only trust fund with the surplus money. The DI trust fund is broke.
Basically the OASI trust fund has a bunch of worthless IOUs.
tony
They want to rob the retirement trust fund to give to disability fraudsters, so the retirement trust fund can go broke earlier.
The OASI trust fund won’t be able to redeem most of the worthless IOUs like the ones from the military and DI trust fund.
If you look at the investment bought and sold on the FAQ that Ray Fernandez posted, you will see that they sold more investment than they bought in 2015 so there was no surplus.
The Budget Office said that there will be a surplus until 2020, which would keep Social Security retirement solvent until 2034.
http://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/policy-basics-understanding-the-social-security-trust-funds
The estimate is way off.
Daniel S.
It must really suck knowing that previous generations responded to poverty and disability with kindness.
tony
The SSA can’t even keep an accurate account of Social Security trust fund. The receipts and expenditures don’t match from the previous years audit 2015 and current year audit 2016. The receipts and expenditures are different for all the years leading up to 2016.
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4a3.html
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/ProgData/fyOps.html
tony
Someone stole $4.3 billion from the Social Security trust fund.
tony
Let’s look at Fical Year 1977-2016 report. Let’s say that the fiscal year start in October instead of July.
In the 1957-2015 report, Let’s say 2015 ended in July at $2,812,500 million. The Social Security trust fund is actually increasing during 2015.
Let’s say the new 2016 report is done 3 months later in October of 2015. There should be more money in October than in July of 2015.
Someone did the phony accounting to cover up the theif of $4.3 billion from the Social Security trust fund.
Daniel S.
SSDI and SSI have nothing to do with Obama or Obamacre. SSDI has been a part of Social Security since 1957 when Republican President Eisenhower was in office 59 years ago, not 20 years ago. And it’s not coming from your tax dollars; it’s from and based on the amount that was taken out of that person’s paycheck that’s held in a trust until that person retires or if that person becomes disabled. It’s not an entitlement program, it’s an insurance policy that the beneficiary has been paying a premium for out of every single paycheck he or she has ever gotten.
SSI which is an entitlement program was signed into law by Republican President Nixon in 1972. Even though the Social Security Administration runs SSI, the money does not come from the Social Security Trust. That money for low income disabled people does come from your taxes. While you may not like it, it has nothing to do with the solvency of Social Security. Things that do affect its solvency are recessions caused by deregulation that cause the stock market to crash making the trust’s investments worthless while at the same time no money being paid into the trust since nobody is working.
Berta
Thank you Daniel S. atleast someone on this thread knows what they are talking about. People love to get up here talking what they do not know and placing blame where it doesn’t belong. Go get the info from SSA and stop speculating.
Daniel S.
Thanks, but why would anyone bother to actually type into Google while they are already online and ask ” When did Social Security start and how is it funded?” when they could follow a link on facebook to a fake news site? It’s really scary how few people were taught in school the difference between a reputable source and a non-reputable source.
GW
Excellent, Excellent point!!!!
Frayed e.
IM SO FREAKIN… JUST JADED TO THE POINT OF SHAME IN LIEU OF THE BLATANTLY OBVIOUS CORRUPTION OF THIS COUNTRY…
I WISH I COULD AFFORD TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY THAT @ LEAST GIVES THE IMPRESSION IT CARES ABOUT ITS CITIZENS.. •
Frayed e.
IM SO FREAKIN… JUST JADED TO THE POINT OF SHAME IN LIEU OF THE BLATANTLY OBVIOUS CORRUPTION OF THIS COUNTRY…
I WISH I COULD AFFORD TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY THAT @ LEAST GIVES THE IMPRESSION IT CARES ABOUT ITS CITIZENS..
Nancy
I can’t believe the Social Security Administration is not using the correct name. It is called the Affordable Healthcare Act and should be referred to as such.
Frayed e.
What would make you think any branch ov govt. does anything correctly- seriously. (OK, 99.9%, not any/anything) moreover is considered about its populous as opposed to the “insurance companies they work for- you know?
– THEIR TRUE CONSTITUTES…
David S.
Oh no. Better leave us Jews alone.
AKA
Even more so why this topic on this site?
Winston
thanks.
Josephine
What is LBGTQ????
Ron S.
Why should the rest of us be forced to pay for medical coverage for queers that only bring on their medical problems due to their SICK queer sex??????????
If they choose to continue their queer ways, then that is their own problem, not ours.
Barry O pushed for their inclusion since he is one himself .
Ugo J.
QUE PLACER ENTRAR ESTAR EN CONTACTO..
R.F.
For information in Spanish, please visit us at http://www.segurosocial.gov or http://www.facebook.com/segurosocial.
Rose
I believe queer is not a good term to use. I hope your correct this it gives the community a bad rap. We are all entitled to be who we are and God made us.