Navigating the U.S. health care system can be frustrating and overwhelming. Patients today face long wait times, fragmented services, and a shortage of specialists for many conditions. 

For women, these challenges can be especially burdensome. When women seek help, they are frequently met with dismissiveness or skepticism from health care providers. Studies show that women wait longer than men to receive pain medication in emergency rooms, are diagnosed later than men with hundreds of diseases, and are more likely than men to skip care due to long wait times. In the past year alone, 38% of women have gone without recommended care, such as not seeing a doctor when sick or failing to fill needed prescriptions. 

Women's Health in the Workplace

For businesses, these barriers impact the health of women on your team and have significant consequences for your bottom line. Women’s health issues contribute to higher health premiums, increased absenteeism, and diminished workplace productivity. In fact, 70% of women report losing one to five days of productivity each month due to health issues. And because women are the predominant managers of health for themselves and their families, these challenges create a ripple effect.

Failing to address women’s health could cost your company millions each year. However, for every dollar invested in women's health, there's a $3 return. Improving care for endometriosis and menopause alone could provide a $130 billion increase to the global economy by 2040. And it doesn't have to be expensive — closing the coverage gap in employer-sponsored health plans for women (excluding maternity care) would cost employers less than $12 per employee each year.

Challenges in the Women's Health Patient Journey

Your employees trust you to provide reliable information and helpful tips to navigate their journey. To help you get started, we've gathered insights from experts on the Health Action Alliance’s Women’s Health at Work Advisory Board, whose members range from chief medical officers to lawyers to benefits leaders at prominent companies and organizations. The Board members identified a myriad of challenges, ranging from provider shortages to system barriers in care.

Here are some of the most pressing issues women face during their patient journeys.

Specialist Shortage

A shortage of specialized providers in critical areas, such as menopause, leaves patients with few informed options for care. Less than 30% of medical schools incorporate gender-specific topics in their curriculum and only 9% offer women’s health courses as electives. 

Insurance Barriers

Limited coverage and complex approval processes create significant hurdles in accessing care. Many women experience instability around insurance coverage; one study reported that 44% of surveyees gained or switched insurance, and 26% lost insurance in a two-year period. Even among those with private insurance, 21% of women are still paying out-of-pocket costs for contraception due to various coverage limitations.

Rise of Unregulated Alternatives

As traditional care becomes more expensive and difficult to access, many women turn to untested supplements or wellness products that lack scientific backing. Today, about 50% of Americans have tried alternative medicine, including herbal remedies, acupuncture, chiropractic treatments, or energy therapies.

Misdiagnoses and Failed Treatments

Women often endure years of frustration and additional health care costs. Some 20% reported waiting over two years for an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. These negative experiences result in an erosion of trust in the health care system, with many women feeling dismissed or gaslit by medical professionals. In fact, 78% of women with endometriosis reported that their concerns were minimized, with doctors telling them they were "making a fuss about nothing."

Envisioning a Better Patient Journey: Where Employers Can Lean In 

When the health care system fails women, employers can take action to support their workers and help create more productive workplaces while reducing long-term costs. HAA has curated insights from our Board members on how the patient journey can be positively transformed. 

To discuss the patient journey, HAA caught up with Dr. Claire Novorol, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Ada Health, a seed investor and sponsor of the Women's Health at Work Advisory Board. Drawing from Dr. Novorol's expertise as well as insights from the Women’s Health at Work Board, HAA curated three key strategies to improve patient care.

1. Strengthen Patient Advocacy and Support Services 

Too often, patient support services exist but are underutilized due to a lack of awareness. To combat this, employers can:

• Partner with advocacy organizations to provide 1:1 support for employees.
• Offer digital health tools or apps to simplify searches and navigate to the most appropriate services.
• Audit their benefits packages and ensure employees know what is available, what they are eligible for, and how to access their benefits.
• Communicate these resources effectively to employees and their families, using email and hosting HR office hours for employees to ask questions directly.

2. Promote Broader Awareness Through Employee Education

When employees are well-informed about their own health and well-being, they’re better equipped to recognize when something is wrong, advocate for their own care, and take appropriate action. And when it comes to supporting health, employers are uniquely positioned as a trusted authority to share accurate information and combat stigma on sensitive health topics.

3. Create a Culture of Prevention and Well-Being

Personalized and proactive health management leads to better patient experiences and long-term cost savings for employees and businesses. Leaders can encourage preventive care by:

• Providing on-site or virtual wellness programs, including screenings, health assessments, and general promotion of healthy behaviors.
• Offering incentives for employees who participate in annual check-ups and vaccinations.
• Supporting earlier symptom identification, diagnosis, and treatment by guiding employees to medically reliable health sources and appropriate services.
• Finding non-digital ways to communicate with frontline workers who may not have regular access to email and other digital communications.
• Getting creative with outreach! Northwestern Energy saw a utilization increase of its health platform after it reached out to employees' spouses to let them know about the benefits offered through its services.