Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Other Sexual Minority Adults in the United States and Their Unmet Medical Needs and Telehealth Use Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Abstract

Sexual minority adults—including lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer/questioning, and other sexual minorities (LGBQ+)—face demonstrated barriers to employment, health insurance, and healthcare access. We sought to assess the association between sexual orientation, unmet medical needs, and telehealth use due to the COVID-19 pandemic using the National Health Interview Survey (2020). Using multivariable analyses, we assessed the likelihood of having unmet medical needs and telehealth use in LGBQ+ adults and heterosexual adults, adjusting for socioeconomic, demographic, and clinical factors. We found that LGBQ+ individuals had a significantly higher likelihood of having any unmet medical needs or unmet non–COVID-related medical needs due to the pandemic compared with heterosexual individuals. The LGBQ+ individuals were more likely to use telehealth than their heterosexual counterparts—for both general and pandemic-related reasons. Our findings indicate that disastrous events such as the COVID-19 pandemic likely exacerbate existing healthcare access disparities faced by LGBQ+ individuals. This warrants further research to explore the interventional potential of telehealth for reducing healthcare access disparities, especially for those living in geographic regions lacking culturally competent providers.