A recent report by the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that nearly 50% of transgender people in the U.S. have experienced mistreatment by a medical provider, including refusal of care and verbal or physical abuse.
In June 2020, CAP surveyed more than 1,500 LGBTQ+ individuals. Among these respondents, nearly one in two transgender individuals reported being mistreated by a health-care provider, and the number was higher among transgender people of color at 68%.
About 28% of these respondents reported postponing or avoiding receiving necessary medical care for fear of experiencing discrimination, and 48% said their health insurance company had denied them gender-affirming care.
The "onus should not be on individuals" to find access to quality and nondiscriminatory medical care, said Sharita Gruberg, vice president of CAP's LGBTQ Research and Communications Project and one of the report's authors. "It really should be on [health-care] institutions to do the right thing, and the resources and guidance is out there."
See Editor's Corner: Check Your Bia-Cis At the Door for the patient and provider perspective on achieving health equity for transgender patients.
Source: The Hill, August 18, 2021.
