Women and health reform

By Alice Dembner, Globe Staff

Because women generally earn less than men and use more healthcare, they face a greater burden from copayments and deductibles that are part of the state’s health insurance initiative, according to a report from the Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights at Suffolk University.

While acknowledging that the initiative has provided coverage for many women, the report recommends that the state monitor the impact of reform on women.

“The need for a gender analysis at each stage of planning, implementation and evaluation is already apparent if Massachusetts health care reform is to live up to its promise of improving women’s health,” said Susan Sered, a Suffolk sociology professor who wrote the report with the help of her students.

Among the report’s findings:
Out-of-pocket costs for a young women enrolled in the Young Adult Plan could reach $6,000 a year with only modest healthcare needs.