Women pay $15B more out of pocket in health care costs

(NewsNation) — Women spend billions more than men in out-of-pocket health care expenses, even though maternity care costs are excluded, according to a new report.

A new report, titled “Hiding in plain sight: The health care gender toll,” by Deloitte, reveals that men and women pay the same price for insurance premiums, but women spend $15 billion more yearly for out-of-pocket medical expenses like copays and deductibles.

“Women spend 13% more on consumer products than men,” said Trae Bodge, a consumer spending expert. “So to hear that this is happening in healthcare as well is really upsetting to me, especially when women are paying more just for these regular well visits that they’re going to every year.”

It’s a result of a “pink tax,” a term that refers to the higher price women pay for the same products as men including razors, hygiene products, health insurance, etc.

“The reality of it is that as women have a lot more screening exams to go to these things should be balanced so that the deductibles are a lot lower, and the co-pays are a lot lower because they have more things to do,” said Dr. Corey Hebert.

On average, women utilize health insurance 10% more often than men. Researchers found insurance companies tend to cover a smaller portion of the cost of services women need compared to the cost of services men need.

“I’m learning that breast cancer screening is more expensive than other types of cancer screenings, and I don’t understand why that is, especially if it is again preventative care,” Bodge said.

According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, breast cancer screenings can cost more than $2,400 yearly.

Other contributing factors to the pink tax include frequent gynecological exams, the high cost of breast cancer imaging compared to screening for other cancers, and earlier age recommendations for annual checkups when compared to men, among other factors.

Experts suggest the best way to cut costs is to make sure every doctor’s visit counts.

“Make a list of questions that you have for your doctor, so you tackle a lot of topics during that visit so you don’t have to go back multiple times throughout the year,” Bodge said.

The gender wage gap in the U.S. has shown minimal progress over the past two centuries. According to the Pew Research Center, women still earn only 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man, marking an increase of just two cents since 2022.