The ‘pink tax’ costs US women thousands of dollars: Reports
2 Min Read
Recent reports highlight a concerning trend in the United States, where women are experiencing what is commonly referred to as the "pink" tax on their healthcare expenses.
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A nurse places a patient's chemotherapy medication on an intravenous stand. (AP)
Recent reports reveal that women in the US are facing a form of 'pink tax' on their healthcare expenses. They are shouldering higher out-of-pocket costs compared to men, and in the case of breast cancer, these additional financial burdens are posing a substantial risk to their well-being.
According to a recent report from Deloitte, women in the United States who have employer-based health insurance incur approximately $15.4 billion extra in out-of-pocket healthcare expenses compared to men with equivalent insurance, excluding premium payments.
Although women's premium payments are roughly equal to those of men, the analysis, which examined over 16 million individuals with employer-provided health insurance from 2017 to 2022, revealed that the actuarial value of their coverage is approximately $1.34 billion lower.
The report indicates that, despite women utilizing their health benefits more than men and incurring 10% more health-related expenses, their out-of-pocket costs remain 18% higher, even when excluding the expensive maternity care. With maternity expenses included, this figure rises to 20%.
Another report, released Monday by the Susan G. Komen organization, highlights the substantial financial burden of breast cancer treatment on patients. This burden could potentially have a detrimental impact on the effectiveness of their treatment.
It is worth noting that cancer is recognized as one of the costliest medical conditions to treat in the United States.
Research from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that breast cancer, in particular, carries the highest treatment expenses among all cancer types. Furthermore, these costs are on the rise, making the financial burden even more challenging.
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