LGBTQ people face many challenges in society. Over the years, they have fought for equality regardless of their sexual orientation. Studies show that LGBTQ have a high rate of certain diseases like breast cancer than heterosexual people, yet they face health disparities due to different factors. Remember, they get less routine health care because they are not considered in regular checkup programs by the medical stakeholders. For example, when there is cervical, breast cancer, or colorectal screening, there is no special arrangement for them to receive unique and private treatment.
These are the challenges the LGBTQ community face when accessing health care services.
Some health insurance policies do not cover domestic partners and unmarried; since most LGBTQ are not legally married, they fall under this category, making them miss out on the health insurance opportunity. Before the court ruled in favor of LGBTQ, it was next to impossible for most of them to access quality healthcare. There is an improvement as many states have family health insurance plans that support unmarried partners where the LGBTQ are part.
Many people find it uncomfortable to discuss their sexual orientation because they fear community judging. Discrimination may also affect the quality of health care you receive. For example, suppose you encounter a healthcare giver with a negative attitude towards people with different sexual orientations. In that case, they may give you the cold shoulder while treating you or even misdiagnose you. If the health facility does not have an LGBTQ-friendly unit, they may shy away from visiting the health facility, making them miss essential medical care. You can check out sites like GreenHealthDocs.com to check if they have services that can allow you access medical from where you feel comfortable.
They are having a different sexual orientation from what society terms, as usual, can make them feel intimidated; when LGBTQ have a negative experience with a medical practitioner, they tend to avoid or delay seeking medical attention. If someone delay routine care, early detection of the disease becomes difficult. Imagine a patient missing an essential routine cancer screening, which can lead to the disease advancing before detection due to fear of associating with health care providers. The LGBTQ community yearns for competent and professional care, which they can only access LGBTQ friendly centers with consideration.
Hospitals do not have special facilities that LGBTQ communities can use. Imagine the doctors admit you to stay in a hospital with no unique rooms, so you either have to share amenities with males or females, which can be uncomfortable. If someone does not feel comfortable identifying with a specific gender and is forced to share amenities, it becomes shameful. For example, if someone has got female features, they will be admitted to the ward’s female wing, and maybe they prefer to be identified as males.
For a very long time, people could not understand why the world has people with different sexual orientations. So, if an LGBTQ wanted a diagnosis for a problem related to their anatomy, it was difficult to get reliable medical attention. Some experts could not understand their emotions concerning hormones regarding mental health since some have hormones meant for the opposite gender.
Discrimination may increase the health risk to LGBTQ people. They have a greater chance of suffering from health issues such as depression and addiction, not forgetting cancer and chronic disease. It is best if they get respectful treatment. You can check on sites like GreenHealthDocs.com to check if they offer any services that can make health care accessible to LGBTQ people.
