Preventive Health Services – Saving Lives and Money

by Amanda Stone, Volunteer,
National Women's Law Center

This post is part of a series on Women and Health Reform.

Someone’s grandma always said, “a stitch in time saves nine.” My grandma said things like, “that red lipstick makes you look like a vampire”-but that is beside the point. “A stitch in time saves nine” goes not only for your clothes, but also for your health! Seeing your doctor early to prevent future illness saves money and grief.

But what happens when you take the responsible steps to seek out preventive health care? Well, that depends. Let me give you some background. Eighty-five percent of American women ages 18-80 were covered by health insurance in 2008. Of those women, 57.8 percent received benefits from an employer (either their own employer or that of a family member). Slightly over 10 percent of American women received health benefits from Medicaid. Approximately 30 percent received benefits from other government sources. Fifteen percent of American women were uninsured in 2008. For practical reasons, your access to preventive care will depend in large part on your insurance status.

Let’s talk about the best-case scenario: What will one of the best available insurance plans get you? Potentially inadequate coverage! Allow me to present you with an anecdote from a young woman named Olivia. Fortunately, Olivia is covered under a comprehensive insurance policy. Unfortunately, her family has a strong history of breast cancer. Olivia watched her mother and her aunt each succumb to breast cancer at the age of 40. She is determined to avoid a similar fate. Accordingly, she found herself one of the best breast specialists in the country. She is lucky: this is something her insurance covers.

Unfortunately, even under many comprehensive insurance plans, the cost of ovarian sonograms is not covered. As you may or may not know, ovarian cancer is strongly linked to breast cancer. Again, Olivia is lucky.  Her Ob/Gyn provided her with an ovarian sonogram free of charge. However, women’s access to available preventive health care should NOT depend on the kindness of their doctors! During her complimentary sonogram, Olivia ranted to her doctor about the inadequacies of the health care system as it stands. She was preaching to the choir. Physicians are aware of how the system works. We need to make our voices heard to those who do not yet know! We must demand regulations on insurance plans that safeguard our health and welfare. With a united voice, we must encourage Congress to forge ahead with health care reforms that will provide us with the coverage we need to lead healthy lives, including coverage of preventive health services.

Please feel free to share your experiences in seeking the preventive care we all need to stay healthy!

Comments

[john]

Why, exactly, do women need health care? The sooner they die off, the sooner I get a new cook in my kitchen.

[RS]

Great article! Something all women should know about. We need to make our voices heard so that positive health care reform can be implemented!