Humans of Health Inequity #1

My kids often tease me that one of my best friends is the lady who helps with meal prep and meal planning for our family. They got that right! Over the years she and I have developed a strong bond. As a working mother of 2, who wants to be present and is particular about what her kids eat, I value her presence in our lives.

I will call her Sue. She is a great lady, always friendly, a smile on her face and very helpful. Loves the red convertible she gifted herself. She has a full time job and recently got promoted at work, earning retirement benefits and additional paid time off.

She has always wanted to be a mom but that hasn’t happened yet. She has taken every possible test and recommendation given by her in network doctors. She eats healthy, and is good about taking care of her physical health. However, her employer covered plan does not cover the expensive IVF treatments that she needs. This is where it gets me! An example of the health inequity that is all around us.

On one hand many of the tech employers cover procedures like this for their employees. On the other hand, the whole country gets in an uproar about women demanding that birth control be covered under their medical coverage. When I think of the amount of $’s spent on litigation and support for overturning Roe vs. Wade, I can’t help thinking that $ is better spent on Sue and others like her impacted in a deeply personal way by health inequity.

We need to share more of these stories. Stories that affect people around us, people we see and meet regularly, people we care about. Women make 80% of healthcare decisions and control on average 10 trillion $ a year on US healthcare spending. One more reason for women to have a seat at the table.