The deadline to enroll for healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act is coming up on February 15, 2015, and Out 2 Enroll is working to ensure that eligible LGBT people can access the coverage offered. Out 2 Enroll has information for consumers, as well as for health care assisters and advocates, such as LGBT cultural competency trainings.
For consumers, Out 2 Enroll has directs you to resources on filling out an application, provides advice on how to compare your options, and has a detailed FAQ section on what is covered, how to get financial help, how to use your healthcare coverage and specific answers to questions for same-sex couples and transgender people.
On Out 2 Enroll, same-sex couples can find answers to questions about applying for family coverage or listing a partner as a dependent. The site notes that for transgender people, insurance providers cannot refuse you coverage or charge you more because of your gender identity. However, the coverage provided for transgender-specific healthcare varies from state to state. Currently, only ten states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington) and Washington, D.C., either prohibit or limit transgender exclusions in health insurance plans.
GLAAD recently worked with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) and several other community organizations calling for New York to repeal its exclusionary regulation that prohibits Medicaid from covering transgender-specific healthcare costs. After a lawsuit filed against the New York Department of Health by SRLP, the Legal Aid Society, and Willkie Farr and Gallagher in 2014, the state announced a new regulation that would remove the discriminatory exclusions.
Find out more about how to enroll before February 15, 2015, at www.Out2Enroll.org.