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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