Visualizing Health Policy: Barriers to Care Experienced by Women in the United States

This Visualizing Health Policy infographic looks at barriers to care experienced by women in the United States. Women incur greater health care costs than men, particularly during the reproductive years. Despite a lower uninsured rate than men (11% vs 14%), women are more likely to skip a recommended medical test or treatment due to cost. However, cost barriers to contraception have decreased for insured women since the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) coverage requirements took effect. Three of 4 women reported that insurance covered the full cost of birth control during their most recent visit. Younger women are less likely to report having a regular clinician. Women without a regular clinician are less likely to receive certain preventive services, such as a mammogram and Papanicolaou test. Women are more likely than men to have a preexisting health condition (29% vs 24%) and express concern about the consequences of lifting ACA protections that ban preexisting condition exclusions.

Visualizing Health Policy is an infographic series produced in partnership with the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The full-size infographic is freely available on JAMA’s website and is published in the print edition of the journal.

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