Women's Health Gap Part 2

I wasn’t planning on doing a follow-up to my post last week on the women's health gap, but a friend sent over a just-released scorecard that I thought deserved some consideration. The 2024 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛'𝑠 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑒, released by The Commonwealth Fund, offers a comprehensive evaluation of how well U.S. states serve women's health needs. The findings reveal critical insights and ongoing challenges. Here is a sampling of some of the points in this scorecard:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡: Women's health in the U.S. is at a critical juncture. Deaths from preventable causes are increasing and while there was a slight improvement in life expectancy in 2022, it remains the lowest since 2006.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island lead the nation in women's health care, as measured by 32 criteria covering access, quality, and outcomes of health care. In contrast, Mississippi, Texas, Nevada, and Oklahoma are at the bottom of the list.

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬: The U.S. maternal mortality rate surpasses that of other high-income countries, driven by inadequate pre- and postnatal care, socioeconomic disparities, health status, and variations in care quality. Most pregnancy-related deaths, often linked to mental health and cardiovascular issues, are preventable with proper care.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐩𝐬: Although the insurance coverage gap has narrowed since 2010, younger women still face higher uninsured rates. In 2022, uninsured rates for women of reproductive age ranged from 2.6% in Massachusetts to 22% in Texas. Insurance alone does not ensure care, as 36% of U.S. counties need more maternity care facilities, particularly in rural areas, as an example.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞: Black and Hispanic women experience longer delays between abnormal mammogram results and diagnostic follow-ups compared to white women. While all women experience delays in follow-up care after an abnormal cervical cancer screen, Black women have even longer delays, which contributes to higher cervical cancer mortality rates among Black women despite higher screening rates. The delays are attributed to reduced access to timely follow-up care, often due to lack of insurance coverage for that specific follow-up care, lower quality of care, and more advanced-stage diagnoses.

It's crucial for all of us—policymakers, healthcare providers, and communities—to recognize the importance of equitable access to comprehensive healthcare for all women. We can make a difference by raising awareness, advocating for policy changes, and supporting organizations dedicated to women's health.

The link to this scorecard is listed in the comments.