Issue
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) requires health centers to report patient information in the Uniform Data System (UDS). Health centers that must report are community-based, patient-focused organizations that provide comprehensive primary care and preventive services to underserved populations, including but not limited to federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). In June, HRSA issued a request for comments on its proposal to remove data related to patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity to align with administration priorities.
Impact
An estimated 14 million adults in the U.S. identify as LGBT, including 1.2 million nonbinary and 1.3 million transgender people. Ample research indicates that LGBT people experience unique barriers to accessing health care and face health disparities compared to non-LGBT people. Research also indicates that LGBT people are more likely to experience homelessness, poverty, and other types of economic insecurity compared to non-LGBT people. As a result, many LGBT people likely rely on community-based health centers that report data using UDS.
Summary
Scholars present research on disparities in health outcomes and access to health care among LGBT people. Additionally, they examine the LGBT population served by health centers utilizing the UDS and provide evidence-based support for maintaining the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity measures in federal data collection efforts, including in administrative and clinical settings.