More than one-third of LGBTQ+ patients with cancer report discrimination in health care
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Key takeaways:
- Half of LGBTQ+ patients with and survivors of cancer are concerned about facing discrimination.
- Experiences and concerns appear highest among Black and Hispanic patients, as well as those living in the South.
More than one-third of LGBTQ+ patients with cancer have faced discrimination in a health care setting because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to survey results from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
Of those respondents, 75% felt such discrimination impacted their care.
The results highlighted concerns and experiences of LGBTQ+ patients with cancer when seeking health care.
“The American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network [ACS CAN] believe that everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat and survive cancer — regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, skin color or where they live,” Gladys Arias, principal for health equity policy analysis and legislative support for ACS CAN, told Healio. “We know from research that individuals in LGBTQ+ communities face serious challenges and barriers to health care and are also disproportionately burdened with risk factors, screening disparities and treatment because of systematic factors like homophobia and discrimination.
“ASC CAN deployed this survey not only to better understand the experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ+ [patients with cancer] and survivors but also to ensure their voices are heard through our advocacy work as part of our organizational commitment to advance health equity,” she added.
The survey, administered in May, included 200 adults diagnosed with and/or treated for cancer within the last 7 years who reside in the United States or a U.S. territory and self-identify as LGBTQ+.
Results showed 37% of respondents faced some form of discrimination in the health care setting based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. This included feeling they weren’t being taken seriously or shown respect.
Hispanic patients (71%), Black patients (44%) and residents of the South (42%) appeared most likely to report discrimination based on their LGBTQ+ identity.
Nearly half of respondents (48%) reported they had not elected to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity in their respective health care setting due to fear of discrimination impacting their care, and over a quarter of respondents (26%) indicated they avoided care due to concerns of possible discrimination.
More than one-third of patients (34%) reported having sought care from a specific provider who might be more accepting of their sexual orientation or gender identity and provide them with better care.
Respondents listed several aspects of discrimination that they fear when seeking care, including being treated differently/unfairly, being judged, not being taken seriously, being treated as a risk, such as likely to have HIV or AIDS, or being harassed or assaulted.
Respondents also mentioned aspects of discrimination that impacted their care, such as difficultly finding an understanding or compassionate provider, not receiving proper treatment due to bias, issues with a partner’s access to care and staying healthy in general.
More than half of respondents (58%) expressed concerns about the political climate impacting their ability to receive health care, with 49% reporting concern that a health care provider may feel it is “too risky” to treat them due to laws passed in their particular state.
In the press release, ACS CAN expressed support for efforts to:
- maintain the provision of the Affordable Care Act that ensures broad protection against discrimination of LGBTQ+ individuals in health care services;
- oppose legislation and regulations that include “conscience clauses;”
- ensure that all eligible individuals can access affordable, comprehensive health insurances through Medicaid expansion; and
- support the Respect for Marriage Act, which ensures marriage equality for same-sex couples and their families and protects their ability to access employer health insurance.
“The American Cancer Society estimates there could be nearly 152,000 new cancer cases and 50,000 cancer deaths among LGBTQ+ people in 2023,” Arias told Healio. “Failure to remove barriers to accessing care for an entire group of people would mean delayed cancer diagnosis and treatment, and could result in otherwise avoidable deaths. Ensuring access to care for LGBTQ+ people is not only vital to ending cancer as we know it for everyone but can also lessen the burden on the health care system.
“By ensuring that everyone has access to care, serious diseases like cancer can be detected and treated earlier — often resulting in better outcomes and less costs to the system” she added.
References:
- Survey: LGBTQ+ cancer patients and survivors concerned about facing discrimination in a health care setting (press release). Available at: https://www.fightcancer.org/releases/survey-lgbtq-cancer-patients-and-survivors-concerned-about-facing-discrimination-health. Published June 26, 2023. Accessed June 28, 2023.
- Survivor Views: Discrimination among LGBTQ+ cancer patients. Available at: https://www.fightcancer.org/policy-resources/survivor-views-discrimination-among-lgbtq-cancer-patients. Published June 26, 2023. Accessed June 28, 2023.
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