Washington, D.C.—More than a dozen patient groups representing millions of Americans with serious and chronic health conditions are praising the Biden administration’s action to preserve protections in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) patients receiving health care services.
The groups filed an amicus brief in a case against the 2020 Rule that rescinded protections for LGBTQ people and individuals with limited English proficiency in which they made clear that these communities already face significant health disparities and allowing discrimination would further exacerbate these gaps and lead to poorer health outcomes.
Following is the groups’ joint statement:
“As organizations that represent millions of people with serious and chronic health conditions, we are pleased to see the administration take action to preserve anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals.
“This community already faces significant health disparities. People with chronic illness such as HIV and cancer are more likely to have hospitalizations, ER visits, ambulatory surgeries, and provider visits. They need to be able to access care quickly and without fear of discrimination. Forcing them to find different providers elsewhere was not, and never will be, a solution.
“Additionally, we would encourage the administration to restore translation notices for those with limited English proficiency (LEP) who often have greater gaps in understanding their health coverage and consequently often forgo critical health services.
“Every person regardless of their race, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age or disability deserves to be given equal access to timely, quality, comprehensive health care without discrimination and we welcome this positive step to ensure access is preserved without hinderance as intended by the health care law.”
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The groups on the brief include the American Cancer Society, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, CancerCare, Cancer Support Community, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Epilepsy Foundation, Hemophilia Federation of America, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Organization for Rare Disorders, National Patient Advocate Foundation, The AIDS Institute, and WomenHeart.