On Monday, United States took a big step towards bringing equality into the healthcare sector by imposing a stringent ban on LGBT discrimination. This ban acts as reversal of the decision taken by the Trump-led government to curb the role of legal rights in sensitive situations that had medical care as their centerpiece. As per the reforms issued by the Trump administration, the sex would only mean gender assigned at the time of birth, which pushes transgender community out of the law’s umbrella of protection. The nullification of this reform ensures the gay rights are properly protected within the country.
“Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences,” the department of health and human services (HHS) said in their statement. “Everyone, including LGBTQ community, should be able to access healthcare, free from discrimination and interference, period.”
The decision in focus provides an enhanced importance to a recently passed judgment by the Supreme Court following a workplace discrimination case. The judgment established that the federal laws against sex discrimination in the workplace are designed to protect transgender and gay people as much as they are there to protect other genders.
This action also restarts the cycle of investigations around sex discrimination. HHS department will spearhead these investigations and assess the complaints made regarding discrimination done on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. As per what is being widely reported, hospitals, clinics, and all the other medical institutions can face heavy sanctions, in case they are found guilty of violating the law. This changed landscape isn’t an entirely new one though. What Biden administration has basically done is to reinstate The Affordable Care Act, which was first introduced during Barack Obama’s tenure. The Affordable Care Act had inclusivity as one of its most important elements. It understood the broad spectrum of sexual orientations, thus all the prohibitions on sexual discrimination extended to gay and transgender people.
The recognition of difficulties faced by different minorities, ranging across varied prescriptions, steers America back into the right direction, a direction of level playing field, and a direction of possibilities.
