Many Women Pay More For Health Coverage Than Men

According to a recent study conduct by Harvard Medical School researchers, women pay more as a result of high-deductible health insurance plans than men do. As a result, when employers change their health coverage to those with high-deductibles, women are effectively taking a pay $1,000 pay cut per year.

The Harvard study examined the expenses for men and women below the age of 45 and found that men spend less than $500 per year on medical deductibles. Conversely, women spend more than $1,200. The study also found that only a third of men insured by a high-deductible plan spend over $1,050 per year in medical costs. When it comes to women, however, 55% are paying more than this cost.

“High-deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies. When an employer switches all his employees into a consumer-driven health plan, it's the same as giving all the women a $1,000 pay cut, on average, because women on average have $1,000 more in health costs than men” - Steffie Woolhandler, lead author of the study

The reason for women spending more on medical deductibles was directly related to the fact that women have a number of routine examinations that are necessary simply because they are women. These examinations include mammograms, Pap tests, cervical cancer vaccinations, birth control, and costs related to pregnancy.