Last September, Laura blogged about the aging LGBT community—specifically, that over the next 25 years, seven to 10 percent of Americans age 65 or older will be members of our community. At the time, Newsweek addressed the health/well-being reality of LGBT seniors: Gay seniors are twice as likely as straight seniors to live alone, 10 times less likely to have someone care for them when they are ill, and half as likely to have health insurance than heterosexuals.
Why am I bring this up? This month, President Obama announced the appointment of Kathy Greenlee to serve as the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Assistant Secretary for the Administration on Aging—a long title which means that Greenlee will focus on aging issues on behalf of the administration. Greenlee has some impressive credentials – she has served as secretary of aging in Kansas since 2006 and previously served as Kansas' long-term care ombudsman, assistant secretary of aging and a general counsel at the Kansas Insurance Department. She also was chief of staff and chief of operations for former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who recently became the secretary of health and human services.
Another great aspect of Greenlee? She is an out lesbian. This of course means we not only have another representative in the upper echelon of U.S. policy-making, but we also have someone at the top who will focus on our growing LGBT aging population.
My hope is that Greenlee, with her seasoned experience with the healthcare and health insurance sectors, will combine her passion for aging issues with her demonstrated commitment to our community (through her participation in Equality Kansas) to develop aging programs and services that are specifically tailored to the needs of our LGBT boomers and elders. From corporate America to the halls of the White House, this segment of our LGBT population, and our aging population, is one that needs our attention now so that we have the systems and resources in place to provide the help when we need it.
Welcome to Washington, Kathy. Readers—what LGBT aging issues would you like to see Ms. Greenlee address during her first year in office? Let’s hear them!
(Photo courtesy of Kansas Department on Aging)
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