LGBTQ Communities

Medicare & the Windsor Decision: Where do we stand?

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By Aaron Tax and Kira Garcia

Last year’s Windsor decision has triggered a series of ongoing changes that impact many of us on a day-to-day basis. For LGBT older adults, Medicare is one of the most critical Federal programs undergoing change. So where do Medicare recipients currently stand? Our Q&A with Casey Schwarz of the Medicare Rights Center answers some important questions.

I live in a same-sex marriage state like Massachusetts, Iowa, New Mexico or one of the other 18 states and the District of Columbia (as of May 19, 2014) that allow for same-sex marriage. What new or increased Medicare benefits am I eligible for as a spouse in a same-sex.... Read More

             

What can we do to honor older Americans? Reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA)! (Older Americans Month)

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By Aaron Tax, Director of Federal Government Relations at Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE).

May is of course Older Americans Month. And given that it is Older Americans Month, what is one of the most important things we can do to honor older Americans? Reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA)! What is that, you ask? It’s probably the most important piece of aging legislation that most people in our country don’t know anything about.

Did you know? The OAA originally passed in 1965 as part of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society? The OAA is one of three big pieces of legislation that form the safety net for older adults in the United States, with Social Security providing.... Read More
             

HHS announces important Medicare information for people in same-sex marriages

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Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the Social Security Administration (SSA) is now able to process requests for Medicare Part A and Part B Special Enrollment Periods, and reductions in Part B and premium Part A late enrollment penalties for certain eligible people in same-sex marriages. This is another step HHS is taking in response to the June 26, 2013 Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Windsor, which held section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional. Because of this ruling, Medicare is no longer prevented by DOMA from recognizing same-sex marriages for determining entitlement to, or eligibility, for.... Read More

             

Women and HIV/AIDS: What about Older Adults, Women of Color, and Cancer?

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March 10, 2014 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD). NWGHAAD is a nationwide effort to help women and girls take action to protect themselves and their partners from HIV – through prevention, testing and treatment. The HIV epidemic is rapidly aging with 17% of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. occurring in those 50 and older. By 2015 the CDC expects half of the HIV infected population to be over 50. Older Americans are more likely than younger Americans to be diagnosed with HIV at a later stage in the disease. This can lead to poorer diagnoses and shorter HIV to AIDS intervals. And with HIV and age, comes cancer.

Statistics – An.... Read More

             

LGBT Elders: Poverty’s Challenges Worsen With Age

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At 81, George Stewart has been a longtime advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older people in New York City. He’s a former Army clerk and U.S. Air Force court reporter, and last summer he was selected by the White House as one of six Champions of Change nationwide for LGBT Pride Month. Yet behind his active civic life and national profile lies another reality: George Stewart is low income, and as with millions of older people, he relies on federal assistance to supplement his income and on local services for.... Read More

             

The Diverse Elders Coalition Launches a Policy Report and Blog

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Welcome to the Diverse Elders Coalition blog! The Diverse Elders Coalition is made up of seven leading national aging organizations and was founded in 2010 with the purpose of promoting federal policy solutions that enhance the quality of life for our country’s diverse aging communities.  The members of the Diverse Elders Coalition include: Asociación Nacional Pro Personas Mayores; National Asian Pacific Center on Aging; National Caucus & Center on Black Aged, Inc.; National Hispanic Council on Aging; National Indian Council on Aging; Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders; and Southeast Asia Resource.... Read More

             
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