ACP offers recommendations on health care equality for LGBT patients
ACP has released a new policy position paper offering recommendations on achieving health care equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients.
ACP has released a new policy position paper offering recommendations on achieving health care equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients.
Evidence suggests that LGBT persons face a common set of challenges within the health care system, ranging from access to health care coverage and culturally competent care to state and federal policies that reinforce social stigma, marginalization, or discrimination. These policies often keep LGBT persons from accessing health care and are also associated with increased rates of anxiety, suicide, and substance or alcohol abuse.
ACP is committed to improving the health of all Americans and opposes any form of discrimination in the delivery of health care services. ACP's policy position paper aims to eliminate disparities in the quality of or access to health care for members of the LGBT community.
ACP's Health and Public Policy Committee reviewed published studies, reports, and surveys on LGBT health care and related health policy to inform its recommendations. Some of ACP's key statements and recommendations include the following:
- ACP recommends that gender identity, independent and fundamentally different from sexual orientation, be included as part of nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies.
- ACP recommends that public and private health benefit plans include comprehensive transgender health care services and provide all covered services to transgender persons as they would other beneficiaries.
- ACP supports same-sex civil marriage rights and also recommends that the definition of family be inclusive of those who maintain an ongoing emotional relationship with a person, regardless of their legal or biological relationship. As such, patients should be able to determine who may visit and who may act on their behalf during their stay, without stipulation.
- ACP opposes the use of “conversion,” “reorientation,” or “reparative” therapy for the treatment of LGBT persons.
The full policy position paper was published May 13 by Annals of Internal Medicine and is available free of charge online.