In a study of 11 industrialized countries, it was discovered that American women are most likely to skip visiting a doctor because of the cost. The survey, conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, revealed that in 2010, 43 percent of American women between the ages of 19 and 64 did not see a doctor or take medication for financial reasons—compared to 7 percent of women in Great Britain and 8 percent in the Netherlands.
In a study of 11 industrialized countries, it was discovered that American women are most likely to skip visiting a doctor because of the cost. The survey, conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, revealed that in 2010, 43 percent of American women between the ages of 19 and 64 did not see a doctor or take medication for financial reasons—compared to 7 percent of women in Great Britain and 8 percent in the Netherlands.
The one major difference? The other 10 countries all provide universal health insurance. The study observed that “when seen from an international perspective, the high rates of uninsured and underinsured women in the U.S. are unique.” Indeed, with almost 19 million American women uninsured and more than 16 million underinsured, it’s no wonder we’re avoiding the doctor’s office.
A recent personal experience drove this home for me. I haven’t had medical insurance since 2006, when I quit my job for a multinational company and went to work for a tiny nonprofit organization. Gone was the plastic corporate taste in my mouth, only to be replaced by the bitter pill of no coverage. When jobs are hard to come by, you do what you need to when your job doesn’t offer benefits: You live with it.
I’ve become used to not having regular checkups, going to free clinics when absolutely necessary and crossing my fingers that nothing major happens. So when I got sick a couple of weeks ago, my first thought was not, “I should go see my doctor.” It was, “I can make it through this.”
After a pain-filled week, I suddenly remembered that I had health coverage as a student at Portland State. Within a day I had made an appointment, seen a doctor and received both medication and the relief that someone other than the Internet had diagnosed me.
The point is that not going to the doctor was so ingrained that, even when I could go, it took a week to dawn on me. It’s just not within my frame of reference. And neither is it for 19 million other American women. Appalling.
Right now I’m extremely blessed to have access to a doctor, but what happens when I graduate? Back to knocking on wood? Compare this to 91 percent of women in the U.K., who said that when faced with serious illness the cost of health care wouldn’t be a concern.
Across the board, American women are rated lowest on every comparative health statistic, leading a Huffington Post news report to conclude that “among advanced countries, the United States may be one of the worst places to live when it comes to health care.” I’m inclined to agree.
Health care should not and cannot remain something only a select few can have. That’s why, with all its kinks and imperfections, President Obama’s health care plan is a step in the right direction. The Commonwealth Fund outlined how, when fully implemented, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has the potential to revolutionize women’s healthcare.
Currently, women pay $1 billion more per year for health care than men—the new law makes it illegal for insurers to charge higher premiums based on gender.
Furthermore, Medicaid will expand to cover not only those in the lowest income bracket, but women with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, and subsidies on private health plans will be provided for those who earn 400 percent of this level. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also projects that 3 million women will save $4.9 billion on prescription medication by 2021.
These expansions and subsidies will throw far wider the blanket of options covering women in this country. Of course, it’s not perfect, but if it means that 19 million women will no longer have to battle an archaic health care system that deems doctor visits a luxury, it will be a huge win.
In any B2B marketing strategy, it’s always a good idea to distinguish your prospects and tailor your marketing message accordingly to each of them. Therefore, a healthcare lead generation campaign should be ready to quickly identify the unique traits of medical prospects and how marketing is supposed to adapt their message to them. And not only that, they must also relay that information to sales so that they can gain insight and offer a corresponding solution, product, or service.