Persistent Gap: Gender Disparities in Health Insurance and Access to Care in California

This policy brief examines gender differences in health insurance coverage and access to care using data from the 2012-2016 waves of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). By the end of 2016, following three years of full health insurance expansion due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (which went into effect on January 1, 2014), just over 10% of both men and women had gained coverage, leaving the gender gap in uninsured rates intact. 

These gains in coverage were predominantly the result of increased ennrollment in Medi-Cal. Women remained more likely to be enrolled in public health insurance coverage, while men were more likely to have coverage through an employer. The gains in coverage changed the composition of the uninsured and Medi-Cal populations. 

The socioeconomic status of Medi-Cal enrollees and of men who remained uninsured increased. Men were less likely than women to have contact with the health care system, but they were also less likely to report experiencing delays in care. 

Though part of this difference could be due to the greater difficulty Medi-Cal enrollees face in accessing care, these gender disparities are also present by health insurance coverage type, suggesting that they cannot be eliminated solely by expanding health insurance coverage.

Publication Authors:
 

• Tara Becker, PhD
• Susan H. Babey, PhD