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THE MINERVA PROJECT

On the Balance Sheet: Gender Inequity in Health Economics

The Minerva Project • November 7, 2025

Beyond disparities in clinical research and treatment, gender inequity also exists in larger insurance and financial policy.

Gender Rating
Health insurance can charge different premiums to individuals based on their gender, under the argument that women have higher healthcare usage and life expectancy. Though the 2010 Affordable Care Act banned this practice, certain regulatory loopholes allow some short-term plans and employer-sponsored benefits to still charge differently based on gender. For example, a 2023 study found that women on average pay 18% more annual out-of-pocket expenses than men, excluding pregnancy-related expenses. The study also found that this discrepancy contributed to the income gap across genders, which compounds on the wage gap. These differences may push many women into difficult choices between essential healthcare and affordability.

The “Pink Tax”
Marketing of different healthcare products often results in a “pink tax,” where products targeted towards women, even if nearly identical to ones marketed to men, are priced higher. These cost discrepancies typically come from branding differences in color and scent, rather than the cost of production. This is evident in personal care products like razors and shampoo, but also in over-the-counter pain medication. For example, Bayer’s Maxidol, marketed as a menstrual pain reliever, was priced higher than Aleve, a pain reliever marketed more generally though made with the same active ingredients (CBC). This price discrepancy makes it difficult for women to access crucial products, exacerbating gender inequities in healthcare.

It is important for health insurers and employers to examine and redesign health benefit coverage, and for policymakers to enforce more transparent pricing and marketing, in order to address the gender inequities in access to healthcare. Achieving gender equity in health finance requires not only closing wage and research gaps but also ensuring that the cost of care itself is fair, transparent, and free from gender bias.

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