Can increasing women's access to specialists decrease insurance costs?

• Key Insight: Discover how targeted virtual women's care can convert insurance unpredictability into fixed employer budgets.
• What's at Stake: Unaddressed gaps could raise employer healthcare costs and accelerate workforce attrition.
• Supporting Data: Women pay $15 billion more annually; average female employee spends 18% more out-of-pocket.
• Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Gaps in healthcare are forcing women to spend more to maintain their health, but one company is battling to provide better, more affordable access.

Working women in the U.S. are estimated to pay $15 billion more each year in healthcare costs than working men, according to a survey from Deloitte, with the average female employee spending 18% more out of pocket than her male counterpart. Much of that gap is driven by limited access to specialized and inclusive care — a problem telemedicine platform Blair Health is tackling by helping employers offer benefits that support women through every stage of their health.

"There's little to no education and investment in mature women's health" says Madge Rumman, the co-founder of Blair Health, a startup that specializes in women's health, primarily perimenopause, menopause, urology and clinical nutrition. "What we're solving is the mismatch between these women's medical conditions and access to specialists." 

Read more: Chronic illness drives healthcare spending among millennials

About 35% of women have to see their care providers four or more times before symptoms are properly linked to hormone changes, according to a survey from The Menopause Society. Even then, they may not receive the level of expertise they need, Rumman says. As a result, many employees are referred from provider to provider, spending weeks or months navigating the healthcare system while waiting for specialized care — a delay that can significantly raise healthcare costs for employers.

Blair Health partners with employers at a fixed rate of $200 per employee per year to provide a fully virtual clinical experience. Health assessments—based on symptoms and a questionnaire designed to mirror the intake process at a specialty clinic—help Blair's team of clinicians develop personalized treatment plans that may include hormonal therapies, non-hormonal options, and lifestyle changes. Patients can also connect with a provider through the platform to receive care or prescriptions quickly.

"In the current infrastructure, insurance providers are still referring women back to a system where employers are paying for visits that aren't yielding any results," Rumman says. "But with our model we're able to transfer up to $8,000 of employers' insurance cost into a fixed budget." 

Preventing productivity loss

One in 10 women leave the workforce because of menopause, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Rumman says much of that disengagement stems from symptoms that can affect performance at work — including frequent bathroom visits, brain fog, trouble sleeping and hot flashes. By addressing these challenges earlier, employers could play a more proactive role in supporting their workforce while also protecting productivity and profitability.

Read more: Included Health's new plan design improves employees' access to quality care

"The first step is recognizing that women have unique health needs and understanding the issues within the healthcare system," Rumman says. "The second step is taking action and evaluating their insurance and benefits plan and really offer plans that keep women healthy and keep women in the workplace." 

While making healthcare equitable and inclusive is a big workplace issue, improving the overall health and wellness experience is beneficial to more than just employees and employers, according to Rumman. 

"Comprehensive access to care does not just improve workforce outcomes," Rumman says. "It's something that improves our society at large."