Friday, July 08, 2005

Coverage & Access

Many Women Delay, Skip Care Because of Cost, Survey Says

27% percent of women under age 65, and 67% of uninsured women delayed or went without needed medical care in the last year because they did not think they could afford it, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports (O'Rourke, Scripps Howard/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7/7).

For the survey, researchers questioned 2,766 women ages 18 and older by telephone from July though September 2004 (Reuters/New York Post, 7/8). According to the survey, 17% of women with private insurance delayed or went without care because of cost concerns (CQ HealthBeat, 7/7). One in three Latinas -- who are the least likely among all U.S. women to have a regular physician -- said they delayed or forwent health care because of cost, the survey finds (Scripps Howard/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7/7). Eight in 10 mothers or legal guardians said they had the responsibility for health care decisions in a family, and 12% of women said they are caregivers for sick or aging relatives, according to the survey (Powell, Akron Beacon Journal, 7/8).

Prescription Drugs

Among uninsured women, 41% reported that they did not fill a prescription because of costs, compared with 17% of women with private insurance and 19% of women enrolled in Medicaid. Fourteen percent of women also reported that they skipped or took smaller doses of their medicines in the past year to make them last longer, the survey shows (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 7/7)..............

Thirty-four percent of women in poor health did not fill a prescription because they could not afford it, the study shows (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 7/7)......................

Comments

Alina Salgagnicoff, director of women's health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation and a foundation vice president, said, "We're finding that cost is increasingly becoming a barrier for women. The cost is more of an issue for women than men" (Akron Beacon Journal, 7/8). She added, "A sizeable share of women are falling though the cracks, either because they don't have insurance or even with insurance can't afford to pay for medical care or prescription drugs" (Scripps Howard/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7/7). ........
kaisernetwork. org/daily_reports/print_report.cfm?DR_ID