As men and women undoubtedly have differing health concerns, risks, and needs, many experts suggest that women particularly take advantage of key strategies to find optimal coverage to maintain their health. With issues ranging from gynecological care to potential maternity coverage, women must actively seek out policy features that align with their personal reproductive plans and goals. As some policies offer greater contraceptive coverage benefits, while others provide individuals with more substantial labor and delivery compensation, women from all different backgrounds, ages, and agendas should personalize their plan to ensure their policy offers the most ideal benefits and protection.
Evaluating Fertility and Family Planning
Before investigating various insurance policies and options, women can begin to proactively assess their needs by evaluating their personal family and reproductive goals.
Women who plan to have children will need to take advantage of key insurance features such as:
- Lower office visit deductibles - Since a woman’s pregnancy demands frequent checkups and routine visits, opting for a lower co-pay can help women avoid excessive appointment costs.
- Post-delivery coverage and protection - After delivery, infants are often at risk for minor illnesses and infections. As such, a woman’s health plan should offer adequate coverage for prescriptions, examinations, and other common health concerns.
Women who have decided not to have children (either in the short term or long term), may need to find health insurance packages with more diverse features, such as:
- Contraceptive coverage benefits - If a woman is sexually active but does not wish to conceive, then she will need to speak with her doctor about reliable methods of birth control. With a variety of choices, women can opt to undergo permanent procedures, take hormonal oral contraceptives, or utilize other methods of protection. Ideally, a policy should allow women to take advantage of her own preference or doctor recommended method; similarly, prescription co-pays should be kept to a lower rate, as contraceptives often require monthly refills / payments.
- Health and disease screening - While all women are at risk for various types of cancer or viruses, women who are not pregnant and / or do not have kids undergo far fewer checkups than women opting to bear children. As a result, a health insurance package should allow women to meet with their OBGYN for routine breast, cervical, and general health exams. Additionally, women who are sexually active may also want to take advantage of sexually transmitted disease coverage options.
