365Gay: Pro-Gay Provisions May Be Stripped From Health Bill

News on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning suggested there was little hope for keeping pro-LGBT provisions in the health care reform legislation Congress hopes to pass. But Rep. Barney Frank says he’s still “somewhat optimistic.”

According to The Hill, a newspaper that serves Capitol Hill readers, leaders of the House and Senate decided Tuesday evening to stick with the Senate version of the health care reform bill –the one without any pro-gay provisions—rather than go through a conference committee negotiation to merge the two versions. The paper said the decision was made on Tuesday night in a meeting that included only President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The pro-LGBT provisions include:

• Ending the current tax inequity for gay employees who cover their partners or spouses on their work health insurance coverage;
• Prohibiting discrimination in health care based on “personal characteristics”;
• And launching studies to end health disparities for people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

If Congress decides not to merge the bills, the House would be able to amend the Senate bill and send it back to the Senate for a final vote, but the likelihood of pro-LGBT amendments being accepted onto a bill that has already been ravaged with controversy –over how and whether abortions could be covered and the exclusion of a government-run option for insurance— seems small. [FULL STORY]

Tags: Anti-Gay, Discrimination, Education, GLBT, Health Care, Health Care Reform, Health Disparities, Inclusion, LGBT, LGBT, Pro-Gay, Tax
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