Baldwin Bill Seeks To End LGBT Health Disparities

[Inchlingblue]

Will address needs of People with HIV/AIDS and
HIV Prevention

 Washington, DC – “The AIDS Institute praises Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) for introducing the Ending Health Disparities for LGBT Americans Act (ELHDA), which would take a comprehensive approach to improving health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans, many of whom are living with HIV/AIDS or are at high risk of HIV infection,” commented Carl Schmid, Director of Federal Affairs for The AIDS Institute.  

According to Rep. Baldwin, “Our current health care system fails LGBT Americans on many levels. Although we have ample anecdotal evidence of these disparities, the federal government lacks even the most basic data on sexual orientation and gender identity and health.  This bill invests in research and takes critical steps towards improving the health of LGBT Americans and their families.”  

Joining Rep. Baldwin in sponsoring the bill (HR 3001) are House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), and Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Mike Honda (D-CA), and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).  It is Rep. Baldwin’s hope that as Congress undertakes comprehensive health reform it will work to address all disenfranchised populations.

In addition to investing in data collection and research, the bill establishes non-discrimination policies for all federal health programs, provides funding for cultural competence training for health care providers,
extends Medicare benefits to same-sex domestic partners, and creates a new office of LGBT Health within in the Department of Health and Human Services.

The bill contains a number of other provisions that are extremely beneficial to people with HIV/AIDS, including providing an option to the states to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income people living with HIV, allowing expenditures by the AIDS Drug Assistance Program to count toward the calculation of True Out-of-Pocket expenses in the Medicare Part D Drug program, and ending the two year waiting period for Medicare disability eligibility.  

In the area of prevention, the bill provides $50 million annually to the states for comprehensive sex education and demonstration projects for HIV education and outreach to high-risk subpopulations, including the transgender population and sex workers.

Despite making up a very small percentage of the general population, men who have sex with men represent over 48 percent of people living with HIV and over 53 percent of new infections. Estimated HIV infection rates among transgender populations range from 14 to 69 percent, according to sexual risk behavior studies.  

[madbrain]

Despite making up a very small percentage of the general population, men who have sex with men

What ? Didn't Kinsey find out gay and lesbians are about 10% of the population ? That would put MSM at 5% . Not what I would call "very small".

[Inchlingblue]

I didn't write the above, I merely cut and pasted it but 5% by all measures would be considered small. And of course their larger point was comparing that to the other two figures, 48% overall infections and 53% new infections. There's definitely a disparity there.

I think the assessment is pretty accurate.

[madbrain]

I didn't write the above, I merely cut and pasted it but 5% by all measures would be considered small. And of course their larger point was comparing that to the other two figures, 48% overall infections and 53% new infections. There's definitely a disparity there.

I think the assessment is pretty accurate.

I know you didn't write it. I would agree that it is small. But not very small.
And yes, the disparity is unfortunate.