Enduring Physical And Mental Ills, With Or Without Medical Assistance

While their life expectancy continues to lengthen, American women endure plenty of ills along the way—sometimes without benefit of medical help. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation takes a comprehensive look at women's health and their access (or lack of access) to regular care.Naturally, poor health is more common in old women than young ones. Even among the 18-44-year-olds, though, 13 percent said they're in just fair or poor health, as did 23 percent of the 45-64s and 31 percent of those 65-plus. Nine percent of the 18-44s, 18 percent of the 45-64s, and 22 percent of those 65-plus said they have a disability. Likewise, 23 percent of the 18-44s, 50 percent of the 45-64s, and 59 percent of those 65-plus have a chronic condition that requires ongoing treatment. The most common such ill for the 18-44s is asthma or another respiratory problem (cited by 12 percent); for the 45-64s, it's hypertension (33 percent); for those 65-plus, it's arthritis (61 percent). Though one thinks of arthritis as a geezer ailment, it afflicts 9 percent of the 18-44s and 32 percent of the 45-64s. The great majority of women (87 percent) reported having had at least one visit to a health-care provider during the past year. While women without health insurance were less likely to have done so, 67 percent did see a provider within that period. The pattern was similar when women were asked whether they have a regular health-care provider. Eighty-three percent said they do, while the number was lower—but still sizable—for the uninsured (50 percent). Among those with a regular provider, just 10 percent have been seeing the current one for less than a year; 52 percent have had the same one for more than five years. Despite such widespread (though less-than-universal) access to health professionals, cost led many women to delay or forgo care they believe they needed during the past year. Thirty percent of those in the 18-44 bracket said they'd done so, as did 23 percent of the 45-64s and 9 percent of those 65-plus. For some, the problem is time rather than money: 19 percent of women said they delayed or skipped needed care in the past year because they couldn't find time for it.The study finds depression and anxiety taking a remarkably heavy toll on women's well-being. Doctors have diagnosed 23 percent of women with those conditions during the past five years. (The figure for men is 11 percent.) Still, just 10 percent of women said they visited a mental-health professional in the past year. For women 65 and up, the figure was a negligible 3 percent. Evidently women that age are presumed to be either (a) well-adjusted or (b) beyond help.

Brand Marketing

Enduring Physical And Mental Ills, With Or Without Medical Assistance

Mark Dolliver

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Mark Dolliver