As a member of the LGBT+ community (Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and other identities), you may feel that navigating your health insurance and care can be a little intimidating. That’s why at Gay Denver, we’ve created a guide to help you navigate your care and meet your healthcare needs!
Finding a Primary Care Physician You’re Comfortable with:
While Colorado has pretty good protections to keep you from discrimination, finding a doctor you’re comfortable with is critical to having a good health treatment experience.
Step one: find a doctor. Use the provider search tool of your selected health plan, or if you’re still shopping, try out the provider search of the plan you’re looking at. You can also use the GLMA (Health Professionals Advocating for LGBTQIA+ Equality)’s Provider Search. Leverage your community: Ask around if you have friends who use specific plans or ask in an identity-specific Facebook group if they’ve had positive experiences with sure doctors. Once you’ve found a doctor, reading the doctor’s bio is a good idea. To do this, you can search for them directly on Google or visit their webpage. Doing this lets you gauge their friendliness towards your identity and get a feel for their personality. You can also read reviews about them.
Step two: contact the doctor to ask questions. It’s important to note that you don’t have to do this if you aren’t comfortable. During your conversation, pay attention to whether they’re actively listening to you and their willingness to be open even if they aren’t totally educated on your identity. Ask them for digital patient forms and see if there are gender markers and places to self-disclose identities or preferred names.
Questions to ask:
- Do you have experience treating patients of my (identity)?
- Do you have resources to reach out to if you haven’t treated someone of my identity before?
- Can you connect me with specialists who are educated?
- How can I take an active role in ensuring my health, considering my identity?
- Does your facility have gender-neutral bathrooms?
- Do any LGBTQIA employees work on staff?
When it comes down to it, picking your doctor is the same as it is for anyone else; you just may have specific health concerns that differ. The best thing you can do is educate and arm yourself, trust your instincts, and remember that it’s always alright to start over by looking into another doctor.
Check out the following resources from the CDC based on your identity:
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Navigating Visits:
Now that you’ve selected your doctor, it’s time to visit and care for your health. It’s essential to keep in mind that you don’t have to disclose things about your identity. However, doing so can help your doctor treat you better!
Sexual Health and Preventative Health:
You should have access to free STI and other services with health insurance coverage. This includes free preventative STI screenings, $0 birth control, and free cancer screenings.
Taking preventative measures for your health is essential. When disclosing your identity, be sure to ask your doctor about options.
Learn about going on PrEP here. These are preventative antiviral drugs for HIV/AIDS.
If you are a transgender individual preparing for or transitioning, it’s important to remember that there are still risks associated with things like breast and prostate tissues that you should check for. View Gay Denver’s guide to getting gender-affirming care here.
Getting Support:
If you’re feeling apprehensive about your doctor’s visits, you can take a friend/partner. Having a good support network is always helpful, whether it be friends, family, or significant other(s). If you don’t have that, hundreds of support groups are available on Facebook and online.
Taking care of your mental health is also essential when it comes to taking care of your health. You can search for queer-friendly and identified therapists here. Be sure to select your health plan when searching so your visits will be covered. The cost will vary based on the plan you have.
Knowing Your Rights:
Under the Biden administration, rights and protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals are in place.
Under the Affordable Care Act, “the provision in Section 1557 that prevents health care providers and insurance companies from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in certain health programs and activities.”
Bostock v. Clayton County, last year’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, found that LGBTQIA+ people are protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banning discrimination based on sex.
Colorado has its own set of rules and rights:
Colorado Regulation 4-2-62 prohibits discrimination in private health insurance plans based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Private insurance plans sold in Colorado* CANNOT:
- Inquire about an applicant’s or a beneficiary’s sexual orientation or gender identity in an application for coverage;
- Deny, cancel, limit, or refuse to issue or renew a policy because of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity;
- Deny, exclude, or otherwise limit coverage for medically necessary services following generally accepted professional standards of care based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
If you feel a health insurance plan has discriminated against you, you can contact the Division to ask a question or file a complaint at 303-894-7490 / 800-930-3745 / DORA_Insurance@state.co.us or visit the File a Complaint page.
