Minnesota Insurance

The researchers, doctors and heads of the community met at the University of Minnesota earlier this week to discuss issues of public health and health care in Minnesota’s LGBT community. The event, held in conjunction with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Health Awareness Week, highlighted a number of disturbing imbalances.

“In 2004, the Minnesota Access Health Survey revealed that 22 percent of Minnesotans homosexuality have no health insurance, compared with 7 percent of the entire population of Minnesota,” said Gary boat , Minneapolis openly gay City Council member. “Fear of discrimination and stigmatization too homosexuality Minnesotans to move or to a decrease in the search for health care and once in the field of critical care often deprived of personal data by suppliers. ”

Boat said that this leads to the results of health and access to health care: “We want to ask” why? “And we hope that the removal of barriers to care.”

Dr. Simon Rosser, an HIV researcher at the University, said the head of concern to gay and bisexual remains, and added that HIV, there will be new and innovative strategies, in order to avoid an explosion of new case.

For other parts of the Community, there are other health issues unique. “For lesbians, we have a number of Health is a problem of too high breast cancer [price], and at least part of the problem is the lack of adequate screening,” said Rosser. ” gender human transplantation, the problem becomes more and more specialized services and skilled, service providers’ understanding for the health problems with which transgender Minnesotans unique.

Community widths and homosexuality among young people, an increase in rates of depression, suicide and alcohol and drug consumption “The problems have been widely distributed, he said.

Dr. Eric Meininger, an internist and pediatrician, in a certain perspective on the site of the operator of the problem. “When I think of the medical training school 1995, most students have no cultural training patients on homosexuality. The only connection that we have learned about homosexuality was in the context of AIDS, “he said. “The [University of Minnesota] is a very progressive. Students now receive a number of training courses on the subject of homosexuality. ”

While Minnesota is at the cutting, “many students across the country, still minimal training,” he said.

But beyond provider of social responsibility are barriers to health care. “This is legislation and policy to block access to our families for health coverage, and as a result of the investigation shows that the LGBT community declining insured,” said Meininger.

“Here, the problem,” Rosser agreed. “If health care is consistent with matrimonial law and employment policy, the less able to access and do not end always in health care are those for which it is illegal to marry as gays and lesbians, and those who is often the most difficult to find a job, as the passage of transgender man.

“Most human beings, maintenance and the need to safeguard public health from a vision that we want, mostly in the field of care, it is the people that the system discriminated against disproportionate” he said. “We must recognize that our system is faulty. We must recognize that health care is a right “.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Health Awareness Week has been adopted by the National Coalition for LGBT and health facilities is encouraged by the Minnesota Department of Health, Rainbow Health Initiative, University of Minnesota Medical Students GLBTA student Queer Cultural Center from the University Of Minnesota Office GLBTA programs and OutFront Minnesota.