Accelerate Action: Why women need health insurance at every stage of life

Authored by Sapna Desai, Chief Marketing Officer, ManipalCigna Health Insurance

A woman's healthcare journey is characterized by unique phases, each with its own medical issues and requirements. Through childhood and adolescence, pregnancy, menopause, and senior years, timely and sufficient healthcare is essential for overall well-being. Encouragingly, an increasing number of women are acknowledging the importance of financial preparedness. As per Policybazaar, the number of women purchasing health insurance has seen a 40% growth from FY23 to FY24, which shows increased financial independence and health awareness among women. However, there is still a long way to go in ensuring adequate coverage for all women.  This International Women's Day, with the theme 'Accelerate Action,' there is an urgent need to accelerate higher awareness and uptake of health insurance for women, ensuring they receive the medical support they require without financial barriers.

Early Years and Adolescence: Laying a Strong Foundation

From birth through puberty, consistent pediatric visits, immunizations, and screening establish the building blocks for a lifetime of health. Through puberty, hormone shifts pose threats such as anemia, menstrual abnormalities, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and require health consultation and preventative measures. It is essential in this phase to have access to specialized healthcare and health insurance that cover it so that it establishes the groundwork for future wellness.

Reproductive Health and Maternity: Protecting Women During Motherhood

The reproductive years are accompanied by changes in health priorities, from gynecologic care to maternal health. Childbirth and pregnancy demand high levels of medical intervention, such as prenatal check-ups, diagnostic testing, and postnatal care. Moreover, access to assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF is on the rise. Yet, many women face financial hurdles in receiving quality maternity care. Accelerating action in promoting health insurance uptake guarantees comprehensive maternity coverage, shielding both newborns and mothers from unexpected medical expenses.

Midlife Health and Preventive Care: Managing the Transition Proactively

When women grow older, preventive medicine and lifestyle disease management become essential. Diseases such as thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases require regular check-ups in the form of mammograms, Pap smears, and bone density scans. Mental health is also a factor, as many women balance work and household responsibilities. Increasing insurance coverage to include mental health care can offer necessary counseling and therapy to help ensure comprehensive healthcare coverage.

The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia 2025 report reveals that there is an increase observed in delayed time to treatment initiation in female patients which highlighted the barriers for women to access timely treatment including their role as caregivers at home, financial barriers, cultural and social barriers associated with stigma. Moreover, Policybazaar's claims data also points out women-related health conditions like fibroids, breast, and cervical cancer as significant causes of claim settlements. As per the 2022, Global Cancer Observatory, out of all the new cancer cases reported, 32% were cervical, oral and breast cancer.

Menopause and Senior Health: Ensuring Long-Term Security

Menopause brings health problems like bone density loss, cardiovascular disease, and chronic conditions like arthritis. While women enter old age, their chances of being hospitalized and needing long-term care grow. The increasing cost of healthcare makes financial preparedness through insurance imperative. Health plans that target women's special health needs concerning aging-related disease can enable women to receive good quality care without worrying about finances.

Bridging the Insurance Gap: Specialized Riders for Women’s Well-being

In spite of their unique healthcare requirements, women tend to remain underinsured due to lack of awareness or financial dependence. Health insurers have recognized this need and developed specialized health insurance riders that address various aspects of women’s health, such as maternity care, breast and cervical cancer critical illness coverages, a fertility treatment benefits and health wellness programs focusing on preventive care. These add-ons provide enhanced financial security, ensuring complete protection. As insurers develop more customized policies, accelerating action to educate women on the importance of comprehensive coverage is vital in bridging the insurance gap.

Health insurance is not only about financial security— it is a fundamental enabler of a woman’s health and well-being at every life stage. Encouragingly, the increase in women buying health insurance is a sign of good progress. But the urgency to step up efforts in providing complete coverage cannot be overemphasized. On this International Women's Day, it is time to shatter barriers and empower every woman with appropriate health insurance. By choosing comprehensive plans that evolve with their changing health needs, women can safeguard their health, gain financial independence, and lead healthier, stress-free lives. Ensuring widespread health insurance adoption today will pave the way for a stronger, healthier future for generations to come.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and Adgully.com does not necessarily subscribe to it.