Women more likely to skip medical care due to cost, wait times
Women are 31% more likely than men to skip medical care due to cost while also paying $15.4 billion more than men in out-of-pocket medical expenses per year.
According to a Deloitte survey, women are more likely to skip or delay medical care than men due to cost, wait times and negative previous experiences. Overall, half of women surveyed by Deloitte reported that they have skipped or delayed medical care during the past year compared with 37% of men.
Women are 31% more likely than men to skip medical care due to cost while also paying $15.4 billion more than men in out-of-pocket medical expenses per year. Even when excluding maternity-related health care expenses, women require an average of 9.9% more health care services than men, according to Deloitte. Deloitte also found that women are more likely than men to avoid or delay mental health services due to cost.
In addition, women are financially less prepared for unforeseen medical expenses, with 44% saying they are either not prepared or slightly prepared to pay $500 for an unexpected medical emergency.
Women are 50% more likely than men to skip care due to long wait times and twice as likely as men to miss medical appointments due to transportation issues, the survey found. Misdiagnosis or overlooking of concerns also dissuade many women from seeking medical help from providers who rely on male-based data that may not fit their symptoms or issues. For example, Deloitte said middle-aged women who have symptoms of heart disease are twice as likely as men to be misdiagnosed.
“These research findings elevate key opportunities to address the barriers holding women back from accessing the care they not only need but deserve,” said Jen Radin, risk and financial advisory health care practice leader and principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “It’s imperative that stakeholders across the ecosystem understand and prioritize women’s health to close the gap and help ensure everyone has equitable access to health services so that women can thrive and continue to fulfill their critical role in both the paid and unpaid workforce in the U.S.”
Employers can play a role in closing this gap by collaborating with health plans to enhance coverage for health issues beyond fertility and childbirth, such as screenings, rehabilitation therapy, mental health services, and menopause treatments, the study recommended.
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Ensuring that health benefit options are affordable and meet women’s needs can attract and retain talent while keeping them healthy and productive. Employers could also explore ways to make health care services more accessible through flexible work schedules, onsite health care services, subsidized child care, and paid sick leave, said Deloitte.
Health plan providers should examine their plans for gender biases and introduce products that equally benefit genders as well as adjusting cost-sharing mechanisms to be more inclusive, the report said.