According to a 2002 survey released jointly by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive(r) only 70% of lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adults said they had health insurance
coverage, compared to 86% of non-gay adults. The gap in insurance for
LGBT employees exist because most employers in the U.S. do not offer
health insurance for LGBT partners (domestic partner benefits). Even
when employers offer domestic partner benefits, many LGBT employees do
not apply for them because revealing their sexual orientation puts them
at risk of anti-gay bias. Another potential cause for the gap may be
because many LGBT people are un- or underemployed because of
discrimination in the workplace. "In every survey of Americans of
employment age, the number one access point for health insurance is
through employee benefits for workers employed full-time. For LGBT
Americans, obtaining that benefit is often problematic," said Kathleen
DeBold, Executive Director of the Mautner Project. "Discrimination
against LGBT Americans only increases the already horrific numbers of
the uninsured."
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