HRC Foundation’s 2026 Healthcare Equality Index Shows Many Healthcare Providers Maintain Commitment to LGBTQ+ Inclusion, Despite Headwinds

by Laurel Powell •

Index shows continued strong participation; nationwide trans health care ‘warning’ implemented as some health providers withdraw care for trans youth

WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released the biennial 2026 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), the industry standard benchmarking tool for LGBTQ+ inclusion and equity practices in the health care field. In an era where health care access in general, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and health care for transgender people specifically are under threat, the HEI remains a necessary and useful tool both for health care administrators and for individual patients.

Health care access for the LGBTQ+ community in 2026 is a tale of both important progress and dangerous setbacks. Even amid extraordinary pressure, many healthcare institutions are continuing to show up for LGBTQ+ patients and staff. Doctors want to take care of their patients in the best way they can. Even so, disinformation campaigns driven by a small minority of politicians who use trans youth as a scapegoat for their own failures and who are dismantling HIV care are having a real impact on people’s lives. It’s vital for all LGBTQ+ people to get the most accurate information we have on access to care across the country and we are proud of the ways in which the HEI helps the community understand this.

Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

The HEI helps healthcare facilities maintain and strengthen LGBTQ+-inclusive care even under extraordinary pressure. The report offers aggregate findings, benchmarks, and guidance for adaptation. The standard remains: every patient deserves safe, respectful, inclusive, dignified care. In the 2026 edition of the HEI, overall participation remained strong, despite a challenging moment for LGBTQ+ inclusive health care.

  • Nearly 750 health care facilities completed the HEI survey
    • Of these, 44% received the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader designation, and 46% earned High Performer status.
    • In total, nearly 90% of all facilities surveyed achieved one of the top designations
  • This year included 49 new participants, and 53 facilities improved their designation from prior years.

Read the full 2026 Healthcare Equality Index here. Visit this link to see our trans health care warning page.

The Human Rights Campaign reports on news, events and resources of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that are of interest to the general public and further our common mission to support the LGBTQ+ community.

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Topics:
Health & Aging