LGBTQ+ adults more likely to miss or forgo healthcare, survey finds

A KFF survey of 2,640 LGBTQ+ adults found six in ten skipped needed healthcare in the past year due to cost or access problems, compared with 38% of non-LGBTQ+ adults, with a third reporting their health worsened as a result. Transgender respondents, uninsured adults, and those under 30 reported the steepest gaps.

Beyond missed appointments, 22% of LGBTQ+ adults forwent prescriptions due to cost and 30% struggled to pay medical bills, both notably higher than non-LGBTQ+ peers. Insurance denials were also more common — 32% of insured LGBTQ+ adults reported them, versus just over a fifth of others.

Researchers caution the disparities may partly reflect that LGBTQ+ people are younger, lower-income, and less likely to be insured overall, though they note those factors are 'certainly intertwined' with identity.

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