The National Coalition for LGBT Health

The healthcare.gov web portal is an excellent resource for LGBT people seeking more information on their health insurance options, maintaining good health, or the changes being made by the Affordable Care Act. 

For people seeking information on health insurance:

• Users can learn more about government-run insurance programs, small business insurance, or private individual insurance by clicking the “Find Insurance Plan” tab. This portion of the site allows you to access information about individual plans available in their area, including services that are covered by the plan, and which doctors take plan payments. 

• Information on the government-run Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIPs) for people who have been turned down for insurance because of a previous illness can also be found on the website either by clicking a state on the PCIP interactive map, or by entering their zip code. 

For people seeking low-cost health care services:

• Users can find providers in their area that can offer care for low or no cost. After entering a zip code, listings of health clinics, hospitals, and providers in your area are provided. 

For people seeking information about maintaining good health:

•  Clicking on the “Learn About Prevention” tab will take you to information resources on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This includes information on screening for serious illnesses, potential risks based on your personalized information, and links to ideas on how to make sure you stay healthy.

For people seeking information about the Affordable Care Act:

• Clicking on the “Understanding the New Law” tab will take you to an information website about the health care reform law. It includes the full text of the law, guides to understanding important protections and initiatives under the law, and an interactive timeline showing when changes will take effect.

While an expanded version of the website will be available in October, the current site is a huge step in providing more easy-to-understand information for all Americans, including LGBT people. We encourage everybody seeking more information about the improvements of health care reform, health insurance coverage, or how to maintain good health, to use this new and easy-to-use resource.