LGBTQ+ adults face significantly greater challenges accessing and affording health care compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers, a new KFF survey of about 26,000 adults found.
Gay, bisexual and trans people are nearly twice as likely as the rest of the population to forgo prescription medications. Nearly 6 in 10 said they had postponed or skipped needed care, and 3 in 10 said they struggle to pay medical bills. That’s compared to 38 percent of non-LGBTQ+ people who said they skipped care, and 21 percent who struggled to pay medical bills.
The survey found that women and trans people reported even greater barriers than gay men do. Nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ+ women said they either couldn’t get an appointment, couldn’t pay for health care or couldn’t access health care for another reason, and more than 80 percent of trans people reported the same. By comparison, 38 percent of non-LGBTQ+ people said they couldn’t access health care.
Previous KFF studies have found that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to have lower incomes and a wider array of health disparities, both of which could contribute to the population’s health care struggles.
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