New federal rule meant to strengthen nondiscrimination protections, advance civil rights in healthcare

The Department of Health and Human Services on Friday released a final rule aiming to protect individuals from discrimination in healthcare, including members of the LBGTQ+ community.

This is a huge step forward to LGBTQ+ Equity,” Sherrill Wayland, senior director of special initiatives and partnerships at SAGE, told the McKnight’s Business Daily. “A main concern for older LGBTQ+ people when seeking services from a skilled living community is the fear of discrimination.” Section 1557 will help ensure that older LGBTQ+ people will not face discrimination in admission and services. The Long-term Care Equality Index, a program of SAGE and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, is excited to work with any long-term care community who is ready to update policies and practices as they meet the requirements of Section 1557.”

The rule “reverses a Trump-era regulation and restores gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination protections under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act,” Bloomberg Law reported.

Section 1557 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability by entities that primarily provide healthcare and receive federal funding. It is enforced by the HHS Office for Civil Rights. […]