Women likelier to forgo healthcare

U.S. women with health insurance are more likely than men to go without needed care because of higher premiums and related costs, a study has found. A larger percentage of women also have trouble paying their medical bills.

More women didn’t fill prescriptions, skipped recommended visits with specialists, failed to get tests or just didn’t seek treatment when they had a medical problem, according to a national survey by the Commonwealth Fund, a private New York-based group that supports research on health and social issues.

Other studies have suggested that women typically pay more for healthcare because they need more routine exams, such as those related to pregnancy. These issues should be part of the national healthcare debate as employers switch to plans with higher deductibles and policy makers look for flexible, lower-cost options for the almost 16 million uninsured adults, the report said.

Politicians and advocates “should ensure that any proposal provides comprehensive benefits and low cost-sharing,” said Judith Waxman, vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Women’s Law Center, in a statement. Waxman co-wrote the report with Elizabeth Patchias, a health policy analyst at the center.

To read the report, go to www.cmwf.org.