SLU survey: 1 in 3 health care providers consider leaving Missouri due to anti-LGBTQ laws
In the past two years, medical providers have felt pressure from Missouri's legislature and government: A trigger law eliminated the right to abortion in Missouri and another prohibited medical providers from providing gender-affirming health care for minors.
Young people who were receiving hormones or puberty blockers before Aug. 28, 2023, are allowed to continue receiving them. Until the law expires in 2027, physicians who prescribe hormones or puberty blockers to minors risk having their licenses revoked or being sued by their patients.
In a Saint Louis University survey of 135 medical providers across Missouri, one in three said they were considering leaving Missouri due to legislation targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, which is bad news for a state already struggling with a healthcare workforce shortage.
Katie Heiden-Rootes, an assistant professor at Saint Louis University and survey author, has been working to find solutions to the physician shortage with her colleagues even before those laws were in place.
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"When we did this survey I was like, there’s not enough grants in the world to change that kind of cultural phenomenon in terms of how people are experiencing the state they’re living in. Even if I can make graduate education, medical education better, increase scholarship funding, I can’t keep people here," Heiden-Rootes said. "They’ll come, get their education and leave. That historically has been a problem for a long time; that’s why we have these shortage areas, among other reasons."
The legislation impacts how providers practice medicine.
"Providers feel they’ve sort of lost their professional autonomy and they’ve lost their ability to sort of self-govern because the state has taken a position on a healthcare issue and turned it into a political discourse and conflict that’s very unnecessary," Heiden-Rootes said.
LGBTQ+ communities already struggle with reliable and safe access to health care. Aaron Schekorra, executive director for Springfield's GLO Center, said many of the providers they recommend to clients are no longer accepting new patients.
The GLO Center is currently conducting a community needs survey, Schekorra said, and the preliminary data is "showing already today that queer people are significantly less likely to have a set primary care physician, to have great connections to healthcare systems here in our area because of not just legislation but also because of discrimination."
"I think the average person can identify with the frustration of trying to get in to see a doctor when you need to see a doctor, and now imagine that a significant number of doctors are not the best fit for you because of your identity. Now imagine that the ones that are (a fit) are considering packing up and leaving the state to protect themselves or to protect their careers," Schekorra said. "I can’t fault or criticize those healthcare providers, because they’re doing what’s best for them. At the end of the day, we have to do what’s best for us, but it’s going to leave a huge gap in our community."
Departure of healthcare providers will have wide-reaching impact
Missouri is among 22 states imposing legal or professional penalties on practitioners who provide gender-affirming care for minors. In five of those states, providers can be charged with a felony.
While it's not uncommon to hear of LGBTQ+ individuals leaving the state due to legislation, news outlets have reported anecdotal accounts of health professionals leaving states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Researchers have been hesitant to say that anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is driving the flight, as empirical data has been limited, according reporting from New Orleans Public Radio, though surveys like St. Louis University's are changing that.
Legislation like what is in place may discourage providers from even coming to Missouri, not just for professional but also personal reasons.
"I think (respondents) were speaking from both sides, like ‘How do my families live here, too?’ which is an added layer to consider," Heiden-Rootes said. "So often we think about providers or our workforce as not necessarily whole people. But they’re also Missouri residents.”
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Heiden-Rootes emphasized that the gap in care will affect every community, especially in rural areas.
"As much as it’s easy to want to ignore politics or the political discourse of what’s being said, or say it’s not going to impact me, the availability of a healthcare provider in your area of the state, particularly in rural areas, matters a whole lot," Heiden-Rootes said. "Even if you’re not part of the LGBT community, the downward effects of this kind of discourse and push in legislation will harm many people who aren’t a part of this community in an unforeseen consequence."
Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Survey: Some medical providers may leave Missouri due to these laws
