New report reveals Illinois women in health care crisis
(May 31) Women in Illinois are more likely to need medical services than men and yet, they are less likely to get it and often go without, according to the final report, " A Study of Uninsured Women in Illinois," released today by Chicago Foundation for Women. The report, the first extensive look at uninsured women in Illinois, also found one in every four Chicago woman has no health insurance. And the numbers are even higher for Latinas in Illinois--which means women are teetering on a dangerous edge risking both physical and financial security. "As the legislature grapples with the budget, we hope these numbers remind them that spiraling health care costs have put women's health and safety in jeopardy. These women are caught in a health care crisis," said Hannah Rosenthal, executive director of Chicago Foundation for Women. "But there is a solution. Illinois Covered is an ambitious plan that will offer coverage to hundreds of thousands of women previously uninsured." Women such as Jamie Braxton go without health care Jamie Braxton doesn't want a handout—she just wants to buy health insurance.
“I am not looking for free health care,” said the 43-year-old McHenry resident. "I work very hard—maybe 50 hours a week—but the prices are so outrageous that even if we scrimped and saved health care is not even a remote possibility.” Braxton is like all too many of the women chronicled in the study “A Study of Uninsured Women in Illinois.” The study found that women living in the five collar counties have more health realted barriers to health care than those anywhere else in Illinois. Braxton can’t find an affordable policy. Since she was diagnosed with AIDS, she is classified as having a “pre-existing condition.” So, she goes without check-ups and prescriptions.
Braxton, who owns her own medical transcript company, doesn’t know if she will ever get health insurance again.
“It’s just not right. Health care should not be reserved for a chosen few. It should be a right for all of us.” |
The report, commissioned by Chicago Foundation for Women and done by Health & Disability Advocates and Rob Paral and Associates, also found disturbing news about how women are shortchanging their health care. More than 600,000 women in Illinois said they needed to see a doctor but wouldn't go because of the cost. And women in the five collar counties are more likely to experience cost-related barriers to care than those living downstate or in Cook County. Rosenthal said, “While this problem is across the board for women, this study shows us that Latinas, younger women and low-income women are the women most at risk and too often going without because they can’t get it or they can’t afford it.” And when it comes to older women, they are less likely than men to be insured. "The disadvantage to woman is across the spectrum," said Rosenthal.
Stephani Becker, senior policy analyst for Health & Disability Advocates, said, “There are 652,000 uninsured women in Illinois—that means one out of six women ages 19 to 64 are uninsured, but in Chicago the number jumps to one in four, and for Latinas in Illinois, it is one in three.” Women are more likely to need health services--not only because of obvious reproductive health services, but because more women than men have chronic health conditions that need care. Nationally, it's one-third of women, compared to one-quarter of men. Women also have less financial resources. Women earn a median income less than men. In Illinois, it is more than $10,000 less than a man, with the median full-time, year round income for a woman being $30,700. Women are also more likely than men to live in poverty. The 25-page report, available on the Foundation's website, shows that no matter what the age, race or geographic location, all of these uninsured and under insured women would fare better if Illinois Covered, Governor Blagojevich's plan to cover all the uninsured in the state, were enacted. It would close the gap and offer affordable coverage to women. It would also mean economic security for women since health care bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy for women. "Please urge your legislator to pass Illinois Covered," Rosenthal said. "It is not too late to call Springfield and say say, 'Make the best choice for women--choose health care.' " For more information contact Susy Schultz, director of advocacy and communications, at (312) 577-2825 or sschultz@cfw.org. |