Findings Older women outnumber older men in Medicare and are disproportionately represented among poor and low-income beneficiaries age 65 and older. Women tend to outnumber men in the ranks of the uninsured in the 10 years preceding Medicare eligibility. Medicaid figures more prominently as a source of health care coverage for older women than older men, while older men are more likely to lack any supplemental insurance coverage. The disparity widens with age. Women, on average, spend substantially more than men on short-term nursing home care, but substantially less on inpatient hospital care.
Women tend to be more burdened by prescription drug costs than men.
Older women, even if they have adequate insurance coverage, may encounter barriers to health care due to factors such as caregiving responsibilities, living arrangements, or provider attitudes. Under a premium support approach, Medicare would contribute defined amounts toward health plan premiums. Each beneficiary would annually select an approved private health plan to provide his or her Medicare coverage. The government would contribute a share of the plan's premium and the beneficiary would contribute an additional portion, if necessary, to purchase the plan of his or her choice. Proponents assert that premium support would give beneficiaries more options for health benefits and cost-sharing arrangements, and that competition among private plans for Medicare enrollees would help contain health care costs in the long run.