More Than One in Four Non-elderly Women Delay or Forgo Medical Care Due to Costs

Large Percentages of Women Say Their Doctors Haven’t Talked About Diet, Exercise, Smoking, STDs, or HIV

Washington, D.C. – A new national survey of women on their health finds that a substantial percentage of women cannot afford to go to the doctor or get prescriptions filled. Although a majority of women are in good health and satisfied with their health care, many have health problems and do not get adequate levels of preventive care. For those who are sick, poor, or uninsured, the challenges are magnified. The Kaiser Family Foundation report, Women and Health Care: A National Profile, is based on a national survey of 2,766 women age 18 and older.

As health care costs grow, more than one-quarter of non-elderly women (27%) and two-thirds of uninsured women (67%) report they delayed or went without care they believed they needed in the past year because they could not afford it, compared to 24% and 59% respectively in 2001. Among women with private coverage, nearly one in five (17%) delayed or went without care. In addition, 20% of women ages 18 and older say they did not fill a prescription in the past year because of the cost.
“The growth in health care costs has become a central women’s health issue,” said Alina Salganicoff, Vice President and Director of Women’s Health Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “A sizable share of women are falling through the cracks, either because they don’t have insurance or even with insurance can’t afford to pay for medical care or prescription drugs.”

Fewer than half of all women say they have talked to a health care professional in the past three years about smoking (33%), alcohol use (20%), and calcium intake (43%), while just over half have talked about diet, exercise, and nutrition (55%). Among women of reproductive age (18-44), fewer than one in three (31%) say that they have talked with their doctor about their sexual history and specific issues, such as STDs (28%) and HIV/AIDS (31%) in the past three years. ...

Read the full story at:

The Kaiser Family Foundation

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Read our article on:

Helpful Resources for MA Health Insurance