Health insurance coverage and use of selected preventive services by working-age women, BRFSS, 2006

Access to healthcare and participation in preventive screening are important to the well-being of women. Using 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, we examined the prevalence of health insurance coverage among working-age women and their use of selected preventive health screening. These data were also used to determine these women's access to services and the extent to which cost was a barrier. Overall, 17.3% of working-age women reported not having health insurance coverage, and lack of coverage varied widely among the states. Those without coverage were significantly more likely to report having neither routine health examinations nor a regular provider, to report cost as a barrier to access, and to be less likely to get screened for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers during the specified time intervals. Future research and programs need to address the public health issues of unmet healthcare needs and health insurance coverage of U.S. women.