Health

EqualityMaine has helped pass major health legislation, including bills for increased AIDS funding and the HIV/AIDS Medicaid Waiver, which expands health care access to HIV-positive individuals who live below the federal poverty line. We have also supported programs for breast and cervical cancer screening, and led efforts to expand HIV prevention services and comprehensive school health education programs. In partnership with several organizations, we have helped defeat attempts to enact discriminatory and irresponsible HIV testing policies in Maine.

We continue to work for fair legislation and equal health care for LGBT Mainers. In recent years LGBT health has emerged as a national concern: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recognized the fact that the LGBT community faces a host of health disparities, including under-screening and inadequate risk assessment by providers. The government has also acknowledged that LGBT seniors are at a higher risk for economic hardship brought on by health care costs, simply because same-sex couples lack the legal and Medicaid protections afforded married couples.

See also: Family medical leave