A new study by researchers at Brown University School of Public Health, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults Report Continued Problems Affording Care Despite Coverage Gains,” reveals LGB adults—with insurance and who regularly get check ups—are more likely than their straight peers to avoid seeking medical attention, due to cost of care, than their straight peers.
This perplexed Kevin Nguyen, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student at the school, who ran the study and coauthored the report with two Brown professors.
Earlier this month, Nguyen received the American Public Health Association Medical Care Section Student Paper Award at the APHA 2018 Annual Meeting in San Diego. His study was published in the medical journal Health Affairs.
“I started looking at this question because I had read a few studies indicating that following the ACA’s implementation in 2014 and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, there were comparable rates of uninsurance for LGB adults. However, insurance is only one step in receiving care—I was curious to see if there were other differences in the access to care and health outcomes,” Nguyen told a Brown University reporter. ”
The University’s website report went on to explain:
Though the study did not explore the cause of the difference in being able to afford medical treatment, Nguyen said, based on prior studies, one possible explanation is that more LGB adults had individually purchased insurance, which may have higher copays or deductibles than employer-sponsored insurance. Another possibility is that on average LGB individuals may need more medical services than straight individuals.
In addition to similar levels of health insurance, the study also found that LGB individuals now report comparable levels of having a primary care doctor and having an annual check-up as their straight peers — approximately 77 percent and 66 percent, respectively.
Yet despite comparable levels of access to health care, LGB adults reported 5.3 days in the last month where poor health prevented them from doing normal activities, compared to 4.9 for their straight peers. Similarly, they reported 5.6 poor mental health days (days with stress, depression or emotional problems) in the last month, compared to 3.9. …
Nguyen is interested in looking at the data from the 2017–’18 survey upon its release to see how various health policy debates and changes have impacted the LGB community, he said.
“It really is important to collect sexual orientation data in these nationwide surveys because it allows us to answer questions about access to care and health outcomes,” Nguyen said. “This helps us understand the experiences of certain communities who face very high barriers to care and allows us to monitor whether we’re making improvements or not.”
