Whitman-Walker Institute Applauds Biden-Harris Administration for Ending Strong Affordable Care Act Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQI+ Communities
WASHINGTON , April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the Biden-Harris Administration released a final rule under Section 1557, the core nondiscrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act. This groundbreaking rule marks a critical step in protecting health care access and coverage for LGBTQI+ people across the country.
Strong implementation and enforcement of this rule will improve the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ people in the United States.
The new rule restores and expands important protections to ensure that everyone can get the health insurance coverage and health care they need, without discrimination. Critically, the rule demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring access for all by ensuring specific protections for some of our nation’s most marginalized communities, including transgender, non-binary and intersex people, people with limited mastery of English, people with disabilities and people seeking reproductive health care.
Dr. Kellan Baker, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Institute, had this to say about the final rule:
“At a time when state legislatures are stripping transgender people of their right to basic health care, we’re glad to see the Biden-Harris administration take a strong stand on the vital need for access to health care inclusive for everyone.
The final rule reverses extremely harmful Trump-era regulations and makes clear that no one should be denied access to health care or health insurance coverage because of their sexual orientation or identity of gender Combined with strong enforcement, this rule will help dismantle barriers to care and advance health equity for LGBTQI+ people and other underserved communities.
Implementing this rule will ensure that the federal government and partners across the country continue to fulfill their responsibility to improve the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ people across the country.”
Whitman-Walker Institutethat leverages research, policy and education to advance health equity across the country, is affiliated with Whitman-Walker Healththe main claimant in a 2020 federal lawsuit led to a reversal of the Trump administration’s weakening of Section 1557’s nondiscrimination protections for underserved communities, particularly LGBTQI+ people. The need for the Biden-Harris administration to restore and expand these anti-discrimination protections was clear. Research shows that LGBTQI+ people continue to face widespread discrimination in health insurance and healthcare settings:
- According to 2022 US Transgender Surveynearly 50% of respondents who saw a provider in the past year had at least one negative health care experience because of their gender identity.
- Twenty-three percent of LGBTQI+ respondents, including 37% of transgender respondents, reported postponing or avoiding necessary medical care in the past year because of disrespect or discrimination by providers.
Comment from the Whitman-Walker Institute on the finalization of the Section 1557 rule:
“The Whitman-Walker Institute applauds the Biden-Harris administration for finalizing regulations under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which restore critical nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQI+ people.
These civil rights protections come at a critical time, as transgender people across the country face politically motivated attacks on their right to essential health care. Strong implementation and enforcement of this rule will improve the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ people across the country.”
About Whitman-Walker Institute
The Whitman-Walker Institute is a Washington, DC-based organization that leverages cutting-edge research, policy, and education to advance health equity at the federal level and in states across the country. We bring to this work expertise in rigorous research and health policy analysis, deep relationships with state and federal policymakers, longstanding partnerships across multiple justice movements, and the direct service experience of Whitman-Walker Health, a federally qualified health center serving thousands of diverse individuals. patients in the DC area and beyond. The Institute hosts nationally recognized experts in policy areas such as LGBTQI+ health equity, transgender care, insurance reform, social determinants of health, HIV prevention and treatment, and sexual orientation and gender identity. data collection. You can find more information at: https://www.whitman-walker.org/institute/
About Whitman-Walker
For more than fifty years, Whitman-Walker has been part of the fabric of the local Washington, DC community, as well as our nation as a first responder and provider of care to people living with HIV; a leader in LGBTQI+ care and advocacy; a research center working to discover advances in the science of HIV treatment and prevention; and one of DC’s most trusted partners during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Whitman-Walker envisions a society where all people are seen for who they are, treated with dignity and respect, and given equal opportunity for health and well-being. You can find more information at: www.whitman-walker.org.
SOURCE Whitman-Walker Institute
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