LGBTQ+ Californians Face Significant Gaps in Health Care Access and Outcomes
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research released a policy brief examining the differences in health care access, health behaviors, and health outcomes by sexual orientation among California adults. Researchers found that although health insurance rates for lesbian, gay, and bisexual women and men were similar or better compared to straight women and men, disparities in accessing health care, health behaviors, and health outcomes exist. There were also differences between lesbians and bisexual women and gay and bisexual men:
Although the differences by sexual orientation vary across specific outcomes a general pattern emerges showing that lesbian and bisexual women tend to have worse health outcomes and behaviors than straight women. Among men, bisexual men tend to have worse health outcomes and behaviors than straight men, but gay men tend to have better health outcomes and behaviors than straight men.”
