Women Face Higher Burden Than Men From Rising Health Care Costs, Study Finds

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 13 May 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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About 70% of working-age women in the U.S., or 63.8 million women, are uninsured, underinsured, have medical debt or have not sought needed care because of high costs, according to a study released Monday by the Commonwealth Fund, a private health policy research group, Reuters reports. Fifty-nine percent of working-age men, or about 51.9 million men, fall into the same categories.

For the study, researchers conducted telephone surveys of 2,600 adults ages 19 to 64 between June and October 2007. The study found that 52% of women were likely to not fill a prescription, not seek needed care, or skip a recommended medical test or treatment, compared with 39% of men. In addition, the researchers found that 45% of women had health care-related debt or problems paying medical bills, compared with 36% of men. The researchers also said the figures might underestimate the actual extent of the problem because the study took place during 2007 and does not account for the effects of the ongoing recession.

According to the Commonwealth Fund, women face a stronger impact from rising health care costs because they have lower average incomes, spend more on health care and use the health system more frequently than men. Karen Davis, president of the group, said, "More families are making difficult choices between needed health care, making payments on mortgages or credit card debt, and purchasing basic necessities" (Steenhuysen, Reuters, 5/11).

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