An In-Depth Analysis of Women’s Higher Medical Costs and Healthcare Disparities
Introduction
October 3, 2023: Marielle Farina, a senior manager at accounting and consulting firm Deloitte, has dedicated her career to helping health insurers design their benefits. But she wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of medical bills that hit her during the whirlwind of new motherhood.
“Becoming a new mom is very overwhelming: You have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days and then take the baby home and try to figure out how to survive,” Farina said. “I remember a few weeks after having it, I received bill after bill, and this adds to the sleepless nights and the stress of it all.”
Women face higher medical costs than men even without taking childbirth costs into account, according to a new study conducted by Deloitte, co-authored by Marielle Farina. The report focuses on working women, who analysts say pay up to $15.4 billion more a year than men in out-of-pocket health care costs.
The Discrepancy in Healthcare Costs
The report from Deloitte’s health team examined more than 16 million people under employer-sponsored coverage. The results were alarming: on average, in 2021, women spent 20% more on out-of-pocket expenses compared to men. Even without factoring in maternity costs, the difference was still significant at 18%, which translates to an average of $266 more per year.
While the exact reasons for these discrepancies are unknown, the report offers some likely explanations. Women tend to use health care more frequently, with 10% more total health expenditures compared to men. They require specific check-ups that men don’t, such as gynecologic exams, menopause-related visits, and high-cost breast cancer imaging.
Another factor contributing to women’s higher medical costs is that they receive less value for their money when it comes to health insurance. According to the report, women receive about $1.3 billion less than men in benefit value among people with commercial insurance.
The increased financial burden on health services can be considered part of the “pink tax”: the price of products designed for women, such as menstrual products. This issue is exacerbated by wage inequality between men and women, deepening the healthcare disparities.
Women in Low-Paying Jobs Face Heightened Risks
Women, particularly Black, Native, and Latina women, make up nearly two-thirds of the country’s workforce in low-paying jobs. These industries include food service, retail, and home cleaning. According to a report by the National Women’s Law Center, these public-facing jobs carried especially high risk during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Women, particularly Black women, are overrepresented in these low-paying, high-risk jobs,” said Venicia Gray, senior manager of maternal and child health at the National Partnership for Women and Families, a research and advocacy group. “To hear that men don’t pay as much is discouraging.”
Women in low-paying jobs often struggle with inadequate healthcare coverage and limited access to quality care. This can lead to the neglect of their concerns in doctor’s offices, as highlighted by the Kaiser Family Foundation Women’s Health Survey 2022. The survey found that 29% of women ages 18 to 64 felt their doctors ignored their concerns, while 15% reported that a provider did not believe they were telling the truth.
Inadequate provider-patient communication and biases in healthcare settings result in less efficient and comprehensive medical care for women. This forces them to schedule additional appointments and spend more on out-of-pocket costs.
Personal Experiences Highlighting the Challenges Faced by Women
Malia Funk, founder of POV, a women’s health advocacy platform, experienced firsthand the challenges and costs involved in addressing healthcare issues. Despite her extensive experience in the medical field, she faced obstacles and unexpected expenses when seeking treatment for a misplaced IUD.
Her repeated appointments were labeled as “sick visits,” adding to the out-of-pocket costs she had to pay toward her $4,000 deductible. Additionally, she was charged $800 for tests she claims were performed without her knowledge. These experiences motivated Funk to launch POV to advocate for better healthcare experiences for women.
Funk’s story sheds light on the need for a healthcare system that prioritizes affordable, accessible, and comprehensive care for all women, regardless of their socioeconomic status or prior knowledge in the medical field.
Addressing Healthcare Disparities and Designing Inclusive Benefits
Dr. Kulleni Gebreyes, an emergency physician and director of health equity at Deloitte, hopes that the report encourages employers and insurers to take a closer look at the coverage structure. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing the unique medical needs, disease burdens, and behaviors of women.
“Women are not men with ovaries,” she stated. “As we think about how to make healthcare more affordable, we need to make sure our healthcare benefits system takes that into account.”
Business leaders should collaborate with suppliers to identify and rectify the discrepancies in healthcare costs and coverage. Redesigning benefits and cost sharing can help bridge the gap and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for women.
Summary
Women face higher medical costs compared to men, even beyond childbirth expenses. According to Deloitte’s report, women pay up to $15.4 billion more annually than men in out-of-pocket healthcare costs. The reasons for this discrepancy include women’s higher frequency of healthcare utilization and the need for specific check-ups. Women also receive less value for their money in terms of health insurance benefits compared to men.
Women in low-paying jobs, particularly women of color, face additional challenges in accessing quality healthcare. These disparities are further exacerbated by inadequate provider-patient communication and biases in medical settings. The personal experiences of women highlight the obstacles and costs they encounter while seeking medical care.
To address these healthcare disparities, it is crucial for employers and insurers to reassess coverage structures and design inclusive benefits. Business leaders should collaborate with suppliers to identify and rectify these discrepancies, ensuring that healthcare benefits systems consider the unique medical needs and behaviors of women.
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October 3, 2023: Marielle Farina, a senior manager at accounting and consulting firm Deloitte, has dedicated her career to helping health insurers design their benefits.
But she wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of medical bills that hit her during the whirlwind of new motherhood.
“Becoming a new mom is very overwhelming: You have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days and then take the baby home and try to figure out how to survive,” Farina said. “I remember a few weeks after having it, I received bill after bill, and this adds to the sleepless nights and the stress of it all.”
It turns out that maternity care is just the tip of the iceberg: Women face higher medical costs than men even without taking childbirth costs into account, according to a new study. report from Deloitte, co-authored with Farina.
The report focused on working women, who analysts say pay up to $15.4 billion more a year than men in out-of-pocket health care costs. This covers age groups and applies to women aged 19 to 64.
Deloitte’s health team examined more than 16 million people under employer-sponsored coverage. The results were discordant: on average, in 2021, women spent 20% more on out-of-pocket expenses, compared to men. Without maternity costs, it was still 18%, which translates to $266 more per year, on average.
While the exact reasons for the differences are unknown, the report offers some likely reasons. Women use health care more frequently, with 10% more in total health expenditures, compared to men. Women need specific checkups that men don’t get, including gynecologic exams, menopause-related visits, and high-cost breast cancer imaging.
Women also get less value for their money when it comes to health insurance, receiving about $1.3 billion less than men in benefit value among people with commercial insurance, the report says.
According to the authors, the increased financial burden on health services can be considered part of the “pink tax”: the price of products designed for women, such as menstrual products. It is a problem that is aggravated by wage inequality between men and women, they say.
Women, particularly Black, Native and Latina women, make up nearly two-thirds of the country’s workforce in low-paying jobs in industries such as food service, retail and home cleaning, according to one study. report of the National Women’s Law Center. And these public-facing jobs carried especially high risk during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Women, particularly black women, are overrepresented in these low-paying, high-risk jobs,” said Venicia Gray, senior manager of maternal and child health at the National Partnership for Women and Families, a research and advocacy group. “To hear that men don’t pay as much is discouraging.”
There is research that points to lower quality care for women in the doctor’s office. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation Women’s Health Survey 2022, 29% of women ages 18 to 64 who saw a healthcare provider in the past 2 years felt their doctors ignored their concerns.
Additionally, 15% reported that a provider did not believe they were telling the truth and 19% said their doctor assumed something without asking.
This leads to less efficient and comprehensive medical care, forcing women to schedule additional appointments and spend more on out-of-pocket costs, said Malia Funk, founder of POV, a women’s health advocacy platform.
Funk launched POV in 2021, after it took eight doctor appointments over 3 years to have a misplaced IUD that was causing pain, bleeding and infections removed, he said.
Like Farina, Funk had experience in the medical field, moving from pre-med studies to roles as a healthcare strategist and private equity consultant. Despite her extensive experience, she was not prepared for the obstacles and costs involved in addressing what should have been a simple medical problem, she said.
Her repeat appointments counted as “sick visits,” which she had to pay out of pocket toward her $4,000 deductible, she said. She was also charged $800 to rule out sexually transmitted infections, which she claims was done without her knowledge during other tests.
“While I was having these negative experiences, I was consulting with some of the larger healthcare companies,” Funk said. “I thought, ‘I know this space and I still don’t know how to get good health care.’”
Kulleni Gebreyes, MD, an emergency physician and director of health equity at Deloitte, said he hopes the report encourages employers and insurers to take a closer look at the coverage structure. Business leaders should work with suppliers to determine why these discrepancies exist, she said, and redesign benefits and cost sharing.
“Women are not men with ovaries,” he said. “There are different medical needs, different disease burdens, different behaviors. As we think about how to make healthcare more affordable, we need to make sure our healthcare benefits system takes that into account.”
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