Private, employer-based health insurance in the United States is particularly hard on women. Women require more medical services than men, primarily due to reproductive and preventative care, including mammographies, pap smears and birth control. Because of this, they spend much more on health care annually: In 2006, 63% of women spent more than $1,050 out-of-pocket for health care, compared to only 46% of men. In addition, women are 15% less likely to be offered health insurance by employers. Women more often rely on their spouse for health insurance; nationally, 26% of women receive coverage as dependents through a spouse, compared to 11% of men. This makes women especially vulnerable to losing health insurance due to divorce, separation, death of a spouse, or retirement of a spouse. Moreover, 7% of Americans report that they or someone in their household got married in the last year to get health care benefits from their spouse. On a state level, attempts at health care reform are negatively affecting access to care for many women. Before the current Massachusetts health care reform law was enacted, many low-income women received free care from the state. Now they have been required to buy private insurance with co-pays and deductibles and are struggling to afford care.

Universal single-payer proposals in Massachusetts and for the United States would offer comprehensive health care coverage to all residents regardless of employment or marital status, and would eliminate co-pays and deductibles, which amount to a tax on women and other social groups requiring more care.

Further Resources:

• “Women and Health Coverage: The Affordability Gap,” Elizabeth M. Patchias and Judy Waxman, The Commonwealth Fund, April 19, 2007.
• Women are Disproportionately Affected by Private Insurance Costs, “Consumer Directed Healthcare: Except for the Healthy and Wealthy It’s Unwise,” Steffie Woolhandler and David U. Himmelstein, Journal of General Internal Medicine, June 2007.
• “Massachusetts Health Reform Leaves Many Women Vulnerable,” Suffolk University Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights, Spring 2008.
• “Women and Health Care: A National Profile,” Kaiser Family Foundation, July 7, 2005.
• “Getting married for health insurance,” Los Angeles Times, April 29, 2008.