Patient Care Access News

Patient Access to Mental Healthcare Lower Among Women than Men

Insurance coverage, provider availability, and cost bar patient access to mental healthcare for women, KFF numbers show.

patient access to mental healthcare lower for women

Source: Getty Images

By Sara Heath

- Patient access to mental healthcare is poorer among women, with high costs and limited provider availability stymying the process, according to new figures from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Mental healthcare access issues are playing out in gender-based health disparities, with a smaller proportion of the women who need mental healthcare attempting to access it compared to men.

The healthcare industry is finding itself at a crossroads in terms of mental healthcare. Nearly three years into a pandemic that disrupted work and daily life for virtually everyone, the US healthcare system needs to come to grips with skyrocketing mental health needs.