by Brigette Courtot, Policy Analyst, 
National Women's Law Center 

A recent analysis by the Commonwealth Fund shows that women experience cost-related health access barriers at higher rates than their male counterparts. These new findings echo those of a similar study conducted by the National Women’s Law Center and the Commonwealth Fund two years ago. Though women are no more likely to be uninsured than men, they are more likely to skip or delay necessary health care because of cost, and they report more problems paying medical bills and with accrued medical debt. These inequities are a result of women’s lower incomes (in 2007, women earned 0.78 cents for every dollar men earned) and the fact that they need and use more health care than men. Women’s responsibility for their children’s health care is an additional factor, as women with medical debt or bill problems are more likely than their male counterparts to be single with children.

What is especially distressing about the new analysis is that the affordability problems women encounter in the health care system are only getting worse. In 2007, we reported that 43 % of nonelderly women experienced problems accessing health care because of cost; now, this figure has risen to 52% (the corresponding statistics for men are 30% and 39%, respectively). Reports of medical debt and outstanding medical bills have also increased — two years ago, we found that 38% of women (and 29% of men) had these problems, but now 45% of all women (and 36% of men) struggle with these financial burdens.

The study reveals that affordability problems are becoming more commonplace for women regardless of their income level or insurance status. While women who are uninsured or underinsured (i.e. insured, but with coverage that requires high levels of out-of-pocket spending relative to income) are most likely to have trouble affording health care, even insured women are struggling to keep up with health care costs. One in three women with health insurance year-round reported cost-related problems with accessing care. Similarly, a third of all women with annual incomes over $60,000 have trouble affording the health care they need.

What types of necessary health care are women are putting off because they can’t afford it?  The list includes cancer screenings, treatments or tests that a doctor recommended, follow-up care with specialists, and prescription drugs to help manage chronic diseases. Without this care, women are at risk of developing more complicated and costly illnesses or injuries later on. It’s exhibit #1 in the case for comprehensive health reform — when health insurance is unavailable or inadequate, people don’t get the care they need to stay healthy, quality-of-life suffers, and we all pay the price somehow, whether it’s in lower workforce productivity, poor health status for a significant — and growing — proportion of the population, added pressure on the health care safety-net, or cost-shifting to pay for increasing levels of uncompensated care. As the Commonwealth Fund authors aptly conclude, “the experiences of U.S. women highlight the fragmentation and failings of the nation’s health care system.” Women’s experiences tell us that health reform must place a high priority on affordability, by guaranteeing health insurance that sufficiently covers the health needs of women and their families, with built-in cost protections to ensure that both premiums and out-of-pocket costs do not impose a barrier to necessary care.

View Original Post at womenstake.org