6 Ash Employees on the Future of LGBTQ+ Health Care

Every Pride month, we interview Ash team members about the state of queer health care and health tech in the United States. While the right to access LGBTQ+ affirmative care is under attack in many states, technology may offer solutions. Check out what Ashies have to say about the future or LGBTQ+ care, including the power of tech to fill care gaps and their hopes for the future of care. 

Nick Sempere, VP of Engineering, He/Him

“Technology allows us to scrutinize the fundamentals of health care and rethink how we collect information and serve patients. What parts of health care are heteronormative or cisnormative, and how can we build better digital tools for patients at the margins? The Ash platform differentiates between gender and sex assigned at birth because otherwise trans patients might receive misrepresented lab results if asked to input sex alone. A major part of improving care experiences like these for queer communities will be representation, and queer-led companies like Ash have an important role to play in providing that representation.” 

Jasmin Linares Vera, Product Manager, She/Her/Ella 

“With the current climate, prioritizing marginalized communities like LGBTQ+ people in health care is an act of defiance against policies being made to restrict rights and access. Those policies create barriers and impact quality of life, but technology is able to come in and eliminate some of those barriers and provide the necessary resources. Technology helps us work with existing care structures by making it more accessible at a faster rate to reach more people."

Andrew Rehrig, Fullstack Engineer II, He/Him 

“It’s getting harder and more expensive for queer people to access the care they need in the communities in which they live. Putting them in control of that with innovative technology solutions is helping ensure that they retain the access they need and deserve.”

Mio Akasako, VP of Brand and Design, She/Her

“Insurance across the board (including medicaid/Medicare) needs to cover more LGBTQ+ affirmative care, including labs for PrEP testing, remote STI testing for at-risk LGBTQ+ communities, surgeries for trans folks, and also non-surgical care such as laser hair removal. The future of inclusive health care for LGBTQ+ people depends on access, and there is no access without support from payors.”  

David Stein, CEO, He/Him 

“VC in particular needs to start realizing how LGBTQ+ patient populations are profitable and support companies that cater to our community. Trans people who use hormones are patients for life. People who take PrEP need to access lab testing quarterly as part of their medication maintenance. We saw from the monkeypox outbreak last summer that men who have sex with men are more than willing to listen to health care professionals and wait hours to get vaccines. Queer patients’ LTV (lifetime value) is huge.” 

Mari Pack, Content Manager, She/Her 

“Advancements in telehealth and digital health have made it possible to overcome barriers to care. This is something that seems obvious within our industry, but bears repeating. Some of the most at-risk members of the LGBTQ+ population may not have time to find an affirming provider or take time off work to see a provider in person, and the new crop of queer digital health companies make it easier than ever to get the help they need.” 

‍Reach out to talk about how at-home testing from Ash Wellness can reach marginalized patient populations like LGBTQ+ adults.