Spotlight on Women and Health Care Reform
Why Focus on Women?
Health care is a central element of women's lives, shaping their ability to care for themselves and their families, contribute to the work force, and be productive members of their communities. Women use health care services more frequently than men, visiting the doctor for annual exams and preventive care (1). Many women also play a key role in arranging health care for family members. Yet women face systemic barriers in finding and affording coverage, such as higher out-of-pocket costs and scarcer access to employer-sponsored insurance. As a result, women often delay or forego needed medical care (2).
What Do Women Say?
In a 2011 NoHLA survey, Washington State women detailed the health care challenges they face:
- Women have few affordable health insurance options if they do not get insurance through their employer and are not eligible for public insurance programs.
- Even when women have insurance, many have trouble affording premiums and cost-sharing, accessing the services they need, and seeing their preferred providers. They also have difficulty keeping coverage through life transitions, such as leaving a job or losing a spouse.
- Many women express distrust of the traditional health care system. They are unhappy with state health agencies and wish for greater regulation of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Some women have turned to natural remedies and self-treatment as an alternative.
As these challenges are considered in the context of national health reform, there are opportunities for positive change. Washington women report that they are health care decision-makers for their households: they research insurance options, pay for coverage, complete paperwork, and coordinate services. Women want to translate this decision-making experience into participation in health policy debates, particularly around national health care reform. Their input will be valuable as Washington State considers systems changes.
NoHLA's Work with Women
In response to the input we received, NoHLA is working with women to make their voices heard during Washington State’s health reform implementation process. With support from the Women’s Funding Alliance the National Women’s Law Center, and the Ms. Foundation for Women, NoHLA is:
- Collaborating with local and national women’s groups to better identify women’s health needs.
- Arming women with the information they need to understand how health reform will impact them presentation and fact sheet.
- Analyzing policy proposals from a women’s health perspective, using NoHLA’s Health Reform Principles for Washington Women as a scorecard.
- Supporting public programs that expand access to health care for women and their families, protecting existing programs from state budget cuts and advocating for Washington’s adoption of the Federal Basic Health Option.
If you would like to know more about NoHLA’s work with women on health care issues or schedule an information session on health reform in your community, email Emily Brice, emily (at) nohla.org.
1. “Women’s Healthcare Chartbook” Kaiser Family Foundation (May 2011).
2. S. Rustgi, M. Doty, and S. Collins. “Women at Risk: Why Many Women are Foregoing Health Care.” The Commonwealth Fund (May 2009).