LGBT people earn lower incomes and are less likely to have health insurance, studies reveal

By RYAN GORMAN

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans have a lower quality of life compared to non-LGBT citizens, according to a pair of new surveys.

LGBT people in the U.S. are both less likely to have health insurance and a high quality of life than non-LGBT people, according to Gallup.

Just under 18 percent of LGBT people tend to be uninsured and only 29 percent feel they are thriving financially, Gallup found.

Only 13.2 percent of non-LGBT remain uninsured and 39 percent financially sound, according to the polling agency.

These revelations come not long after UCLA researchers claimed the LGBT population is at a higher risk of poverty and even starvation, according to two separate reports.

LGBT people are not only insured at a lower rate than non-LGBT, but they also struggle at a much higher rate (25 versus 17 percent) to avoid medicine, and are 30 percent less likely to have a personal doctor.

The combination of lower incomes, less medical insurance and a lack of personal doctors puts the LGBT community at higher risk for many ailments generally not experienced by non-LGBT people.

This disparity comes despite less social stigma against this segment of the population and increasing rates of legalized gay marriage around the U.S.

It also bolsters President Barack Obama's argument that LGBT people need further protections in the workplace, and further backs his recent executive order to give them more equal legal protection.

It is not exactly clear why LGBT people suffer from a worse quality of life than their non-LGBT counterparts, according to Gallup, but uncovering this information is crucial to breaking down existing barriers.

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