Sexual Orientation and Health Outcomes in the U.S. Medicare-Aged Population: National Health Interview Survey, 2013--2014

• Activity Number: 238
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 1, 2016 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
• Author(s): Erkan ERDEM* and Samuel "Chris" Haffer
• Companies: KPMG and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Keywords: health outcomes ; disparities ; Medicare ; sexual orientation ; LGBT

Abstract

We use the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to investigate health outcome differences between sexual minority and sexual majority groups within the Medicare aged population (65 and older). We perform statistical analyses on the differences between groups for 15 health indicators or outcomes available in pooled 2013-2014 NHIS data. We divide our sample into two groups - gay, lesbian or bisexual, and straight - based on an individual's response to the NHIS sexual identity question. We find statistically significant differences between the two groups for the four following health indicators or outcomes: being in excellent or very good health, receiving vaccination for influenza in the past year, ever been tested for HIV, and consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one day in the past year. We do not find differences (or do not have sufficient data) for eleven health indicators or outcomes, such as having a usual source for medical care, the type of place for care, failing to obtain needed medical care in the past year due to cost, being a smoker, and having problems with seeing, hearing, functioning, psychological distress, coronary heart disease, obesity, or cancer.