1 in 6 LGBTQ Folks Live in States That Can Refuse Treatment

There are different aspects of healthcare to take into consideration when treating LGBTQ patients. Whether it’s hormone replacement therapy, family planning, or health screenings, there is a different approach needed to properly care for LGBTQ individuals. Understanding patients’ needs allow queer people to get access to the care they need.

However, that understanding and having a good doctor-patient relationship is harder to come by. A study found that one in six LGBTQ individuals live in states that can refuse care and deny services on the basis of their identity.

States like South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, Arkansas, Illinois, and Mississippi have laws in place making it legal for doctors, nurses, and other health professionals to refuse treatment to LGBTQ patients. This is mainly due to the protection of religious rights that are allowing medical health professionals to deny services without it being seen as a violation of nondiscrimination laws. Denying services to LGBTQ patients will become a greater issue since more hospitals are affiliated with Catholic institutions. One in seven patients in the United States receives care in a Catholic facility.

This greatly implies that LGBTQ individuals aren’t getting the care they need. The Center for American Progress conducted a survey in 2020 on the current state of the LGBTQ community, and the results clearly demonstrated the effects of refusing treatment to LGBTQ patients. The survey found that 15% of LGBTQ individuals reported postponing and avoiding medical treatment to discrimination. This increases in transgender individuals, three in 10 avoid or postpone treatment. Transgender patients face greater obstacles when trying to access healthcare. The survey found that one in three trans individuals had to teach their doctor about transgender individuals in order to receive appropriate care.

With the refusal of care, gaps in care, out-of-pocket costs, and many other obstacles healthcare might seem unattainable for many in the LGBTQ community. Many fear discrimination before going to a doctor’s appointment. This issue puts the well-being and lives of many LGBTQ individuals at risk.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest