U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: 2013 Report from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues Coordinating Committee

This the third of annual reports from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues Coordinating Committee.  This internal department committee is co-chaired by Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee and Deputy General Counsel Ken Choe.  The report highlights some of the key activities completed in 2012:

• The Office of Civil Rights issued clarification that section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or sex stereotyping
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued clarifying guidance that Medicare- and Medicaid- funded nursing homes must ensure equal visitation rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents and families
• Established a non-discrimination policy applicable to all HHS contractors that now includes prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and on gender identity
• The Office of Minority Health issued enhanced National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services that uses a more inclusive definition of culture that includes sexual orientation and gender identity
• Beginning in January 2013, the National Health Interview Survey has included a sexual orientation question
• The Office of Women’s Health is funding five pilot studies to identify and test innovative and effective ways of reducing obesity in lesbians and bisexual women
• The Health Services and Resources Administration awarded nine grants that support the development, implementation, and evaluations of interventions to improve timely entry into, and retention of quality HIV care for transgender women of color

The annual report also describes some upcoming activities to be implemented in the coming year:

• HHS’ recognition of same-sex marriages after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in U.S. v. Windsor ruling that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, and requiring federal recognition of same-sex marriages, now available in 13 states and the District of Columbia
• Outreach and enrollment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals into the new health insurance marketplaces created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
• A first annual National Institutes of Health Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Research Symposium to further explore critical topics in LGBTI research
• Implementation of a gender identity as well as sexual orientation survey question in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments
• Pilot testing of a sexual orientation in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Development of a resource document about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration using materials from the Family Acceptance Project
• Systematic reviews of practices and services for homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender victims of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and dating violence funded by the Administration for Children and Families

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