STATEMENT: CAP’s Krehely on How the Affordable Care Act Helps Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans

March 22, 2012

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Contact: Christina DiPasquale
Phone: 202.481.8181
Email: cdipasquale@americanprogress.org

Washington, D.C. – Today, as we near the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Jeff Krehely, vice president for LGBT research and communications at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:

The Affordable Care Act is one of the greatest opportunities we have ever had to begin to close the LGBT health disparities gap. Thanks to the health care reform law, LGBT Americans across the country will soon be able to access insurance coverage and comprehensive health care services through the expansion of Medicaid and the sale of affordable private insurance through state-based Health Insurance Exchanges that are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Studies such as the Institute of Medicine’s 2011 report on LGBT health and CAP’s “How to Close the LGBT Health Disparities Gap” demonstrate that many other aspects of health care reform are also of vital importance to the health of LGBT communities. These include promoting prevention and wellness, supporting community health centers, and advancing cultural competency training for health care providers. The Affordable Care Act is also key to efforts to recognize the increasing diversity of America’s families and to improve data collection to better identify and address the full range of LGBT health disparities.

See also:

• Read “Changing the Game: How Health Care Reform Helps LGBT Americans”
• Read “How to Close the LGBT Health Disparities Gap”
• Register for the March 22 webinar, “Learn Your Power: How the Affordable Care Act Helps LGBT Americans,” hosted at 2 PM ET by CAP and the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce

To speak with Jeff Krehely or Kellan Baker, LGBT Health Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress, please contact Christina DiPasquale at 202.481.8181 or cdipasquale@americanprogress.org.

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