Cicely Karas | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Cicely Karas
Title: A Decade of Disparities: Comparing Barriers to Healthcare Access for LGB People from 2013 to 2023
Major: Statistical & Data Sciences
Minor: Communication Studies
Advisors: Robert Kelvey; Qimin Huang

This study examines ongoing disparities in healthcare access among sexual minorities by analyzing data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and comparing findings to a 2016 study by Dahlhamer et al., which utilized 2013 NHIS data. To enable comparison, this project replicates their methodology by employing a multinomial logistic regression model, two-tailed significance tests, and descriptive statistics. The results indicate that sexual minorities continue to experience significant barriers to healthcare access in 2023, especially for cost-related barriers.

While non-cost-related barriers have shown improvement over the past decade, cost-related barriers have worsened. Among all groups analyzed, bisexual individuals reported the highest prevalence of healthcare access challenges in both 2013 and 2023, highlighting a persistent disparity. These findings suggest that despite progress in certain areas, structural inequities remain deeply embedded within the healthcare system.

This research is especially timely given the current political climate in the United States, where LGBTQ+ rights—particularly in healthcare—are increasingly under threat. As a queer person, I am deeply passionate about contributing to this area of study, which reinforces the urgent need for inclusive, affirming healthcare policy and continued attention to disparities that affect marginalized communities.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.