What the data says about LGBTQ+ people and healthcare
National surveys keep finding the same thing: LGBTQ+ people are about twice as likely to be treated badly by providers, and it changes whether they come back.
Key takeaways
- LGBT adults are about twice as likely to report unfair treatment by a provider.
- Bad experiences lead people to delay care or switch providers.
- The gap shows up in mental health too.
When we talk about LGBTQ+ health, the numbers matter. They show that the problems people describe aren't one-off stories. They're patterns. Here's what the largest recent surveys found.
Unfair treatment is common
In a nationally representative KFF survey of more than 6,000 adults, LGBT adults who had used healthcare in the past three years were more than twice as likely to say a provider treated them unfairly or with disrespect.
33%
of LGBT adults were treated unfairly or with disrespect by a provider
15%
of non-LGBT adults said the same
61%
of LGBT adults had at least one negative experience with a provider
Those negative experiences included a provider assuming something without asking, blaming them for a health problem, or ignoring a direct request.
It changes what people do next
According to KFF, LGBT adults were more than twice as likely to say a bad experience made them less likely to seek care (39% vs. 15%) or led them to switch providers (36% vs. 16%). About one in four (24%) said their health got worse as a result.
About six in ten LGBT adults said they prepare for possible insults or are careful about their appearance to be treated fairly.
Mental health gaps
KFF found that 39% of LGBT adults described their mental health as fair or poor, compared with 16% of other adults. And 46% said they needed mental health care in the past three years but didn't get it.
Trans and intersex people face the biggest barriers
A 2024 Center for American Progress survey found that 21% of LGBTQI+ adults put off or skipped care they needed because they feared disrespect or discrimination. That rose to 37% of transgender adults and 45% of intersex adults.
What we heard
Our own 2025 survey of 126 LGBTQ+ adults lines up with the national data: 85% feel anxious about being LGBTQ+ when seeking care, and 84% have dealt with a provider who didn't understand them. That's why we're building QT Care.
Sources
- KFF, LGBT Adults' Experiences with Discrimination and Health Care Disparities, April 2024
- Center for American Progress, The LGBTQI+ Community Reported High Rates of Discrimination in 2024, March 2025
- QT Care survey of 126 LGBTQ+ adults, 2025
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