Health Care Access Among Individuals Involved in Same-Sex Relationships

OBJECTIVES: We used data from the National Health Interview Survey to compare health care access among individuals involved in same-sex versus opposite-sex relationships. METHODS: We conducted descriptive and logistic regression analyses from pooled data on 614 individuals in same-sex relationships and 93418 individuals in opposite-sex relationships. RESULTS: Women in same-sex relationships (adjusted odds ratio OR=0.60; 95% confidence interval CI=0.39, 0.92) were significantly less likely than women in opposite-sex relationships to have health insurance coverage, to have seen a medical provider in the previous 12 months (OR=0.66; 95% CI=0.46, 0.95), and to have a usual source of health care (OR=0.50; 95% CI=0.35, 0.71); they were more likely to have unmet medical needs as a result of cost issues (OR=1.85; 95% CI=1.16, 2.96). In contrast, health care access among men in same-sex relationships was equivalent to or greater than that among men in opposite-sex relationships. CONCLUSIONS: In this study involving a nationwide probability sample, we found some important differences in access to health care between individuals in same-sex and opposite-sex relationships, particularly women.