Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health
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Womens Health Issues · Nov 2007
Role of health insurance coverage in women's access to prescription medicines.
To examine the effects of health insurance coverage and other factors on access to prescription medicines for non-elderly women ages 18-64. ⋯ Lack of health insurance coverage was significantly associated with experiencing cost barriers, regardless of income level, underscoring the critical role that insurance coverage plays in protecting women from out-of-pocket costs and for accessing prescription medicines. Limiting out-of-pocket spending is also important for low-income women who have insurance, because even minimal costs can act as barriers for this group.
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In this study we explore women veterans' use of Veterans Administration (VA) and private sector inpatient services. ⋯ In New York, female veterans admitted to VA hospitals differed from women admitted to private hospitals by patient characteristics, admission reason, and admission resource consumption. Many younger women who used the private sector were reliant on other government agencies (Medicaid or Medicare) or out-of-pocket payments for their inpatient care.
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Womens Health Issues · May 2007
Gender and racial disparities in the management of diabetes mellitus among Medicare patients.
Racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes care have been demonstrated in several settings, but few studies have evaluated whether racial/ethnic differences vary by gender. The objective of this study is to understand gender and racial effects on diabetes care for Medicare managed care beneficiaries. ⋯ Gender and racial disparities in performance indicators were present among persons enrolled in Medicare managed care. White women were more likely to have met the performance measures related to process of care, but African Americans fared worse in both process of care and intermediate health outcome measures, compared to their white counterparts. Poor performance in cholesterol control observed in women of both races suggests the possibility of less intensive cholesterol treatment in women. The differences in the pattern of care demonstrate the need for interventions tailored to address gender and race/ethnicity.
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Violence against women (VAW) is widespread and linked to negative public health and social outcomes. Research on VAW, however, has largely been limited to convenience samples and on variable definitions of violence, hindering our ability to fully characterize this important problem nationally and among subgroups of women. ⋯ To accurately reflect the chronic nature of partner violence, point estimates should be supplemented with adult lifetime estimates of victimization, including stalking behaviors. Ensuring adequate numbers of women from diverse backgrounds and developing measures that more completely assess the patterns and consequences of women's experiences with violence are important next steps.