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Barriers to health care among adults identifying as sexual minorities: A US national study

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  • Dahlhamer, J.M.
  • Galinsky, A.M.
  • Joestl, S.S.
  • Ward, B.W.

Abstract

Objectives. To assess the extent to which lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults aged 18 to 64 years experience barriers to health care. Methods. We used 2013 National Health Interview Survey data on 521 gay or lesbian (291 men, 230 women), 215 bisexual (66 men, 149 women), and 25 149 straight (11 525 men, 13 624 women) adults. Five barrier-to-care outcomes were assessed (delayed or did not receive care because of cost, did not receive specific services because of cost, delayed care for noncost reasons, trouble finding a provider, and no usual source of care). Results. Relative to straight adults, gay or lesbian and bisexual adults had higher odds of delaying or not receiving care because of cost. Bisexual adults had higher odds of delaying care for noncost reasons, and gay men had higher odds than straight men of reporting trouble finding a provider. By contrast, gay or lesbian women had lower odds of delaying care for noncost reasons than straight women. Bisexual women had higher odds than gay or lesbian women of reporting 3 of the 5 barriers investigated. Conclusions. Members of sexual minority groups, especially bisexual women, are more likely to encounter barriers to care than their straight counterparts.

Suggested Citation

  • Dahlhamer, J.M. & Galinsky, A.M. & Joestl, S.S. & Ward, B.W., 2016. "Barriers to health care among adults identifying as sexual minorities: A US national study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 106(6), pages 1116-1122.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2016.303049_5
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303049
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    Cited by:

    1. Ning Hsieh & Deirdre Shires & Hui Liu & Sam Safford & Kryssia J. Campos, 2024. "Unequal Access to Primary Care Providers at the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, and Gender," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(4), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Carpenter, Christopher S. & Gonzales, Gilbert & McKay, Tara & Sansone, Dario, 2020. "Effects of the Affordable Care Act Dependent Coverage Mandate on Health Insurance Coverage for Individuals in Same-Sex Couples," IZA Discussion Papers 13119, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Kiana Wilkins, 2022. "Intersectional Immunity? Examining How Race/Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation Combine to Shape Influenza Vaccination Among US Adults," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(6), pages 2585-2612, December.
    4. Hswen, Yulin & Sewalk, Kara C. & Alsentzer, Emily & Tuli, Gaurav & Brownstein, John S. & Hawkins, Jared B., 2018. "Investigating inequities in hospital care among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals using social media," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 92-97.
    5. Oscar Oyarce-Vildósola & Alejandra Rodríguez-Fernández & Eduard Maury-Sintjago, 2022. "Association between Homophobia and Sociodemographic Characteristics in Health Workers in Southern Chile," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-9, October.
    6. Madina Agénor & J. Wyatt Koma & Ashley E. Pérez & Alex McDowell & Gilbert Gonzales, 2023. "Differences in Health Insurance and Usual Source of Care Among Racial/Ethnic and Sexual Orientation Subgroups of U.S. Women and Men," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(3), pages 1-26, June.
    7. Solazzo, Alexa & Brown, Tony N. & Gorman, Bridget K., 2018. "State-level climate, anti-discrimination law, and sexual minority health status: An ecological study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 158-165.
    8. Eva Elton & Gilbert Gonzales, 2022. "Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care by Sexual Orientation and Marital/Cohabitation Status: New Evidence from the 2015–2018 National Health Interview Survey," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(2), pages 479-493, April.
    9. Gilbert Gonzales & Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, 2018. "The Association between State Policy Environments and Self-Rated Health Disparities for Sexual Minorities in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-11, June.

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