Research shows that LGBT populations are more likely to be uninsured, to be living in poverty, and to have disabilities that may impact access to health care. Sexual and gender minorities also have unique barriers to health care that include experiences of discrimination, lack of competent providers, and barriers to gender-affirming health care.
On February 28, 2022, a study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) and Williams Institute took a closer look at differences in health insurance coverage and health care access by sexual orientation and gender identity, revealing significant disparities within the LGBT community.
UCLA CHPR Senior Research Scientist and Chronic Disease Program Co-Director Susan H. Babey, PhD, and the Williams Institute's Senior Scholar of Public Policy Jody L. Herman, PhD, and Senior Scholar of Public Policy Bianca D.M. Wilson, PhD, share their findings and discuss some of the LGBT community's unique barriers to care, as well as the need to identify health care and structural interventions that will improve access to care for sexual and gender minorities.