Women who feel stressed about money are less likely to seek preventive health care, according to a recent survey from the Cleveland Clinic Women’s Comprehensive Health and Research Center.
Nearly half the women surveyed said they’re worried about being able to afford proper care — more than they’re stressed about developing serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease, stroke or Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers questioned 2,000 women ages 18 and up in the United States.
While women across generations take different approaches when seeking care, the report also reveals that women at every life stage feel financial pressures related to their wellbeing – which then shapes how they prioritize and make decisions about their physical and mental health.
Journalist Maria Shriver, who also serves as co-founder of the Cleveland Clinic center and founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, said it’s crucial to consider the link between financial and physical health.
“Women are in crisis all across this country at every generation and every race, every economic group,” Shriver said in an interview with WCNC Charlotte. “The fact that women are reporting they’re more concerned about their financial health and being able to afford their health care than getting Alzheimer’s, cancer or heart disease should stop us all.”
According to Deloitte, women spend about $15.4 billion more than men each year on out-of-pocket healthcare expenses – even when pregnancy-related costs are excluded. That’s 18% higher than what men pay.
Nearly one in three women said they haven’t felt the need to see a primary-care doctor in the last two years, and nearly 58% said they haven’t seen an ob-gyn or women’s health specialist in the past year. About 45% of the survey participants rated their own financial health as “fair” or “poor” – the same women who are less likely to take preventive measures or advocate for their own health.
Shriver said women are stuck in this cycle because they’re often responsible for caring for others.
“Women are spending all the money that they’ve saved on other people so that when it comes time to their own care, they’re left broke,” she said, according to WCNC.
