VICTORY- House Passes Health Care Bill Containing Key LGBT Provisions
On Saturday, November 7, the House passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, by a vote of 220 to 215. This is a great step forward towards improving health care for ALL Americans, particularly the un-and under-insured, which includes the LGBT community. The calls you made to your Representatives made a difference! Now we must focus our energy on the Senate. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest on the progress of this bill and how to support its passage in the Senate!
The Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962 includes key provisions to the health and well-being of LGBT families including:
- Non-discrimination – the bill prohibits consideration of personal characteristics unrelated to the provision of health care. This is the first federal legislation to protect LGBT people from discrimination in the health care system.
- Health Disparities – the
bill specifically designates LGBT people as a health disparities
population, opening up health data collection and grant programs
focused on health disparities related to sexual orientation and
gender identity. With collection of data and funding of research,
we can better address the specific health issues facing LGBT
families.
- Unequal Taxation of Domestic Partner Benefits – the bill ends the unfair taxation of employer-provided domestic partner health benefits, incorporating the language of the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act. Without this tax penalty, more people will be able to afford employer-provided coverage for their families, and more companies will be able to offer these important benefits.
- Early Treatment for HIV under Medicaid – the bill also incorporates the Early Treatment for HIV Act, which allows states to cover early HIV treatment under their Medicaid programs, instead of withholding treatment for Medicaid recipients until they develop full-blown AIDS, This will dramatically improve the quality of life for low-income people with HIV, as well as saving taxpayers money and reducing the transmission of the virus.
- Comprehensive Sex Education – the bill provides funding for comprehensive sex education programs that focus not only on abstinence but also reducing teen pregnancies and the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases. After more than $1 billion was wasted on failed, medically inaccurate and discriminatory abstinence-only programs, this funding will provide our children with the tools they need to live healthy lives.
The LGBT community is the un- and under-insured. We are families with children, seniors and youth, women, people of color, immigrants, people living with HIV and AIDS, and transgender people. We are too often discriminated against by insurance companies and health care providers and denied the care that we need. The status quo harms our community and our families; we deserve to be part of the nation’s blueprint for reform.
The focus of health care reform now moves to the Senate. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest on the progress of this bill and how to support its passage in the Senate!
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