From: Date: Mon, 08 Aug 94 17:18:22 EDT ****************************************************************************** PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND The Nation's Largest Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Political Group ****************************************************************************** To contact the HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND, please call us at (202)628-4160, fax us at (202) 347-5323 or write to us at PO Box 1396 Washington, DC 20013. WE CANNOT RESPOND TO E-MAIL. ****************************************************************************** CONTACT: Douglas Hattaway 202-628-4160 office 202-265-5573 home HELMS AND ALLIES TO ATTACK NON-DISCRIMINATION CLAUSE IN HEALTH REFORM BILL Calls to Senate Urged to Protect Equal Rights in Health Care WASHINGTON -- Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and his allies in the Senate are poised to attack a provision in the health reform bill that would prohibit discrimination in health care on the basis of sexual orientation and health status. No federal law protects lesbian and gay Americans from being denied medical services, provided substandard care or otherwise discriminated against in health care. The health reform bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-Maine) would prohibit such discrimination by hospitals, insurance companies and health care professionals. "No one should be denied access to quality health care because of their sexual orientation," said Daniel Zingale, public policy director for the Human Rights Campaign Fund. "Jesse Helms has been running amok on the floor of the Senate in recent weeks, attaching anti-gay amendments to everything from agriculture department funding to the education bill. Now he and his allies are after our right to quality health care." Readers, their families and friends are urged to call their Senators to voice their support for equal rights and for health care reform. Senators should be asked to oppose any effort to remove sexual orientation from the non-discrimination clause of the health reform bill. Callers can contact the U.S. Capitol at 202- 224-3121 and ask to speak to their Senators. "Studies show that lesbian and gay people face widespread discrimination in health care," Zingale said. "Most Americans believe this sort of discrimination is wrong and ought to be prohibited. Any health care reform must ensure access to quality care for all Americans." In a survey conducted by the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, nine out of ten physicians reported seeing anti-gay bias in health care. And 67 percent reported knowing of lesbian or gay patients who had received substandard care because of their sexual orientation. Some insurance companies "redline" gay neighborhoods and refuse coverage to certain employers, ostensibly to avoid enrolling people with HIV/AIDS. An independent poll by Mellman Lazarus Lake, Inc., found that 67 percent of Americans favor a health care reform bill that specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the delivery and quality of health care. With more than 80,000 members nationwide, the Human Rights Campaign Fund is the largest national organization working to end discrimination and win equal rights for lesbian and gay Americans. 1101 14th Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 phone:(202)628-4160 fax:(202) 347-5323