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In recent years, health policy and legislative efforts have been made to address healthcare disparities between people who identify as lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) and their heterosexual counterparts. To determine whether disparities have decreased over time, U.S. researchers used survey data on 177,100 adults who identified as heterosexual, 3200 who identified as gay or lesbian, and 1700 who identified as bisexual.
Between 2013 and 2018, heterosexual men experienced significant reductions in self-reported poor or fair health (vs. good or excellent health), whereas gay men did not. Heterosexual women experienced significant reductions in forgone or delayed care due to cost, whereas lesbian women did not. Overall, gaps in all six investigated health status and access outcomes persisted. During 2016 and 2018, gay men, lesbian women, and bisexual men and women had significantly higher odds of various undesirable health and access outcomes than did heterosexual men and women.
Liu M et al. Health status and health care access among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the US, 2013 to 2018. JAMA Intern Med 2023 Feb 20; [e-pub]. (https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.6523)
Comment
In the U.S., self-reported health status and healthcare access disparities persist between people who identify as LGB and their heterosexual counterparts. These results highlight the need for further action to close these gaps.