Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

HRC encourages LGBTQ+ people to sign up for health insurance plans
--From a press release
2021-11-29

This article shared 1827 times since Mon Nov 29, 2021
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is encouraging LGBTQ+ people to sign up for health insurance as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid's Services (CMS) kicks off its LGBTQ+ Theme Week (Nov. 28 - Dec. 4) during the Open Enrollment period for individual health care plans. The week is dedicated to raising awareness within the LGBTQ+ community of the Open Enrollment period, which is ongoing through Jan. 15, 2022, and to encourage community members who lack coverage to enroll in a health insurance plan for the next year.

Because LGBTQ+ individuals are less likely to have health care coverage than their non-LGBTQ+ peers, the Center's targeted outreach week provides a timely and essential reminder for members in the community to sign up for health insurance. Access to affordable health insurance not only grants better access to care but can also aid in addressing the health disparities that currently exist in the LGBTQ+ community and make critical preventative care more accessible.

"A disproportionate share of LGBTQ+ people in the United States lack health coverage — this LGBTQ+ theme week from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service is a reminder to the community that it's time to enroll in a plan, which for most people will come at a cost of less than $10 a month," said JoDee Winterhof, Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs. "This outreach to the LGBTQ+ community will help ensure greater access to health insurance for individuals who already endure disparate negative health outcomes linked to higher rates of being uninsured, and facing stigma and discrimination — which adversely affect their physical, psychological, and financial well-being, just because of who they are or who they love. We thank the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for highlighting the LGBTQ+ community and strongly urge individuals to enroll."

According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, about 15% of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. are uninsured, compared to 12% of non-LGBTQ+ people. The LGBTQ+ population is also more likely to be unemployed (9% vs. 5%) or to have an annual salary below $24,000 (25% vs. 18%), both factors that can make it difficult to obtain health insurance. Earlier this year, HRC called attention to a report from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that showed LGBTQ+ people were more susceptible to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that 37% of LGBTQ adult smokers smoke every day compared to 27% of non-LGBTQ people; 21% of LGBTQ adults have had asthma, compared to 14% of non-LGBTQ people; and one in five LGBTQ adults aged 50 and above have diabetes.

LGBTQ+ people are protected from discrimination while receiving health care and finding health insurance coverage thanks to section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Additionally, for transgender individuals, who historically have not had access to health insurance options because of discriminatory exclusions, more plans than ever before affirmatively cover transgender-inclusive benefits.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) legislation passed this year by Congress has provisions that significantly reduce costs for those taking advantage of open enrollment:

4 out of 5 people will be able to find plans for $10/month or less

Millions more people qualify for tax incentives that lower their premium

More information about signing up for health insurance is available at HealthCare.gov .

The LGBTQ+ Theme Week also encompasses World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, an annual observance that looks at the ongoing impacts of HIV and AIDS. HIV continues to be a major public health crisis in the United States and around the world. According to HIV.gov, there are more than 1.2 million people in the U.S. living with HIV, and approximately 35,000 new diagnoses each year. The virus disproportionately affects Black and Brown populations — while HIV.gov estimates that there were 12.6 infections per 100,000 people in 2019, for Black people that number rose to 42.1, for Latinx people it was 21.7, and for people of multiple races, it was 18.4.

Earlier this year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation announced its two-year, grant-based partnership with Gilead Sciences to help address the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ communities, particularly Black and Latinx LBGTQ+ youth. The $3.2 million grant funds HRC Foundation's programs, efforts and partnerships designed to combat the HIV epidemic, particularly the My Body, My Health initiative. That initiative works to build partnerships with minority-led, community-based organizations that directly provide HIV services to Black and Latinx communities such as HIV testing, treatment options and prevention.

HRC partnered last year with the Prevention Access Campaign (PAC) on the release of a guide about the Undetectable = Untransmittable campaign, which calls attention to the fact that a person with HIV who is on treatment and has an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus through sex — eve without condoms. Lifesaving and life-enhancing treatments such as PrEP are key to bringing an end to the decades-long epidemic, and getting more LGBTQ+ people signed up for health care benefits is an important way to help ensure that these treatments reach those who need them most.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.


This article shared 1827 times since Mon Nov 29, 2021
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Lambda Legal Launches "Speak OUT" awareness campaign uplifting trans, nonbinary voices
2024-03-28
--From a press release. VIDEO BELOW - (NEW YORK, NY — March 28, 2024) In advance of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest and largest legal nonprofit working to achieve full equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with ...


Gay News

Brown Elephant Returns To Northalsted
2024-03-26
Brown Elephant's Lake View location is moving to Northalsted and already accepting donations. Howard Brown Health, the largest LGBTQ+ health center in the midwest, operates three Brown Elephant resale shops in the Chicagoland area to help ...


Gay News

An interstate trans healthcare crisis: Illinois prepares for influx of people seeking gender-affirming care
2024-03-26
With hard-won rights, such as access to hormone replacement therapy or permission to use one's chosen pronouns in school, breaking down in states across the country, trans residents of all ages are left with a choice: ...


Gay News

Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community
2024-03-26
LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...


Gay News

Planned Parenthood of Illinois expands Orland Park health center
2024-03-26
--From a press release - ORLAND PARK, Ill. - Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) announces the expansion of its existing Orland Park Health Center at 14470 S. LaGrange Rd., Suite 106. The 1,800-square-foot expansion is projected to increase sexual and reproductive ...


Gay News

After 30 Under 30: MAP Executive Director Naomi Goldberg
2024-03-25
NOTE: In this series, Windy City Times will profile some of its past 30 Under 30 honorees. Windy City Times started its 30 Under 30 Awards in 2001, presenting them each year through 2019. This year, ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-24
On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Former Chicago Girl Scouts CEO Brooke Wiseman to receive Luminary Award
2024-03-22
Brooke Wiseman, a now-retired nonprofit leader in the Chicago area, spent most of her career creating leadership development opportunities for girls and women—and making sure that hungry children could be fed. While leading Girl Scouts of ...


Gay News

Affinity celebrates Burning Bowl while looking toward the future
2024-03-19
On March 17, Affinity Community Services held its annual Burning Bowl ceremony even as it already sets its organizational sights on 2025. The event, titled Burning Bowl 2024 Evolution, was held at Studio Imani, 5917 N. ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

UK health service to stop routinely prescribing puberty blockers to minors
2024-03-14
NHS (National Health Service) England confirmed that children will no longer routinely be prescribed puberty blockers at gender-identity clinics, the BBC reported. The decision came after a review found there was "not enough evidence" that they ...


Gay News

One Roof Chicago launches youth-focused workforce development program
2024-03-14
One Roof Chicago (ORC) is set to launch its first training, education and job placement program for LGBTQ+ young adults in late spring. This Community Health Workers and Elder Care program is a part of ORC's ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community
2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union
2024-03-13
Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.