Healthcare costs point up pay disparities between men and women

More than 25% of women surveyed in a new health reform study cited cost as the primary reason they delayed or decided to go without healthcare in the months leading up to the full implementation in January of coverage expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

According to the study, released Thursday by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, researchers conducted surveys from Sept. 19 to Nov. 21, 2013 with more than 3,000 women between the ages of 15 and 64, and 700 men between ages 18 and 64. Their goal was to understand the experiences women faced in accessing healthcare prior to January's start of expanded health coverage for those gaining Medicaid eligibility under the ACA, and a little more than one month after the rollout of the insurance marketplace.

About two-thirds of uninsured women reported health costs as a major barrier to seeking care, and a lack of affordability was cited as the reason for delaying or not seeking care in 35% of women covered by Medicaid, and in 16% of women with private insurance.

The healthcare cost burden for women can be greater than for men, according to study co-author Usha Ranji, associate director for women’s health policy at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, in large part because women tend to earn less, but utilize more healthcare services. The study found that 22% of women skipped getting prescription medications because they could not afford them, compared with 12% of men. Also, 28% of women reported having problem paying bills, compared with 19% of men who reported the same difficulties.

“A lot of the ACA issues are women’s health issues,” Ranji said. “Coverage is a part of the story for women’s access to care, but there are a lot of other issues that affect women’s access, and cost, in particular, can be really burdensome to women compared to men.”

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