Unequal Pay = Unequal Access to Health Care

by Jen Swedish, Health Law Fellow
National Women’s Law Center

Earning only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn means that quality health care is unaffordable for many women. Because women use more health care services on average than men yet earn lower incomes, their out-of-pocket costs are higher. As a result, women are more likely to avoid needed health care because of cost, opting not to see a doctor or specialist, fill a prescription, or get a medical test or treatment when needed. And, when women do obtain the health care they need, they are more likely than men to have problems paying for their care.

As my colleagues regularly share in their weekly series of posts, health care reform is an especially important issue for women, and proposals for reform can make great strides in helping women obtain and afford health insurance. On today, Equal Pay Day, though, I wonder: would women need health care reform as badly if only they were paid the same as men?