On Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that Obamacare will place a special focus on members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community because "for too long...[they] were pushed to the side," Paul Bedard reported at the Washington Examiner.
"LGBT individuals have faced limited access to health care and insurance. They have been less likely to get the preventive care they need to stay healthy, they have higher rates of tobacco use, and they are often at increased risk for mental health illness," she said.
To counter this, the administration is drawing attention to new benefits under Obamacare targeted to gays, Bedard said, and will add gender status to health surveys and questionnaires critical in determining services under Obamacare.
"Like all Americans, LGBT Americans deserve respectful health care providers and the security of accessible, affordable health care that meets their needs," Sebelius said.
The announcement coincides with Obama's proclamation of June as LGBT Pride Month.
"As we observe LGBT Pride Month, I am pleased to say that the Department of Health and Human Services continues working hard to make this a reality for the LGBT community," she added.
Bedard posted the key benefits gays and lesbians will receive under Obamacare, according to Sebelius:
- "Insurers can no longer impose lifetime dollar limits on health insurance coverage, and annual limits will be phased out in 2014. This is particularly important for people with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other chronic diseases requiring comprehensive, long-term care."
- "Starting in 2014, insurers cannot deny coverage or charge higher rates based on a pre-existing condition or because an individual is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender."
- "Insurers generally must cover such vital preventive services as HIV screening, vaccinations, depression screening, contraception, intimate-partner violence screening, and annual well-woman visits, at no out-of-pocket charge."
- "Healthcare.gov includes a health plan finder tool that allows consumers shopping for health insurance to filter for plans offering coverage for domestic and same-sex partners."
Posting to what he called the "five lies told by Democrats to sell Obamacare," Townhall's John Hawkins said that when the massive health care law is fully implemented, things will only get worse.
"Everything from death panels to unimaginably long waits for surgeries to bureaucrats denying effective, relatively common, currently in use treatments because they are 'too expensive' are all coming down the pike," he said.
Related:
- Oregon bakery target of threats, 'terrorism' for refusal to serve gay wedding
- Report: DOJ requires employees to verbally affirm homosexuality
- Liberalism: An ideology of rage and hate
- Liberalism remains an ideology of genocidal hate and rage
- Conservative teen gets death threats after posting anti-gay marriage video
- Gay sex columnist to Bill Maher: I wish all Republicans were f-----g dead
- Gay activist curses, bashes Bible, Christians, GOP in speech to high school kids
- Liberals accuse Kirk Cameron of hate speech for expressing Christian beliefs
- Report: Army officer labels Christian organizations as 'hate groups' in email
- Lesbian activist: Gay marriage fight a 'lie' to destroy traditional marriage
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