Healthcare Access is Essential

Healthcare Access is
Essential

Unfettered access to healthcare helps women attain higher levels of education, more economic success, and healthier families.

The women’s health landscape is fraught with challenges. Systemic barriers lead to widespread disparities in outcomes for women. On top of that, stigma and a constant politicizing of issues related to women’s health, leave women lacking access to healthcare.

There is much work to be done: improved diversity of women in clinical trials, increased transparency around women’s health and increased investment in and innovation of women’s health products and services to name just a few. Making progress in these areas, coupled with a focus on access and affordability, would significantly benefit women and their families.

Medicines360 is committed to helping bridge gaps in women’s health. To uncover solutions to today’s challenges, we conducted a survey in November 2021, which focused on the following:

Access to healthcare as it relates to cost and insurance

Health disparities in HIV, cancer screenings, maternal health, birth control, and cultural nuances/stigma

Healthcare professional (HCP) communication and trust

Health disparities in HIV, cancer screenings, maternal health, birth control, and cultural nuances/stigma

Access to healthcare as it relates to cost and insurance

Medicines360’s 2021 Survey of Women’s Healthcare Access sought to understand how women feel about the healthcare they receive; their perceptions of interactions and conversations with HCPs; and the barriers and challenges faced in accessing the treatment and care they need and want.

Access to women’s health services is not a reality for many women, particularly those with lower-incomes and who are uninsured. While 46% of women reported not having a women’s wellness visit in the past 3 years, uninsured women and those with lower incomes were significantly more likely to report not having done so.

77% of women we surveyed have experienced at least one challenge accessing women’s health services, and we found that women with lower/middle incomes are even more likely to encounter access challenges compared to their higher income counterparts. Not only does income impact accessibility, so does race. When compared to White women, Black women consider it more difficult to find their ideal healthcare provider.

While healthcare professionals are highly regarded resources for many women, four in ten women reported being ignored, disregarded, or dismissed during a women’s health visit, a statistic that becomes even worse among women with lower incomes (49%).

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Together, we can create a world where all women have access to the medicines they need by: