Our daughters deserve better

Strong, influential women are increasingly in the spotlight today—in sports, politics, entertainment, and business (finally!). Yet, despite progress on many fronts, there is still a long way to go before we achieve true equity, particularly when it comes to women’s health. In addition to the nation’s discussion on reproductive healthcare, here is a sampling of what we know:

• Women’s life expectancy is at its lowest since 2006.
• When it comes to mental health, women are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men.
• Among high-income countries, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate.
• Of women in perimenopause or menopause, 75% are not treated.

As the mom of two young daughters, I find these facts unacceptable. As a leader in one of the nation’s largest health companies, I know there are things we can do about them. Societally, we need to prioritize women’s whole health throughout their lives—from childhood and adolescence, into adulthood (and motherhood if that path is chosen), through menopause, and beyond. And we need to do it now.

Start earlier

Childhood and adolescence are formative years for physical and mental development, a vital time for establishing good health practices and long-term well-being. Yet for young girls in particular, the opposite is true. There are far too many facing mental health challenges, which intensified in recent years and peaked during the pandemic; the CDC reported that in 2021, nearly 57% of teen girls in our country felt persistently sad or hopeless.

There are many reasons for this reality. Girls are more susceptible to developing anxiety and depression compared to boys, have disproportionately higher rates of body image stress, eating disorders, and more. But most concerning: In 2021, 30% of teenage girls seriously considered attempting suicide—up nearly 60% from a decade ago.

If there is a silver lining, it’s that in recent years, resources have poured into crisis services; the 988 Lifeline has fielded over 10 million calls, texts, and chats since launching in 2022—and saved many lives in the process. But so much more is needed to prevent those calls from ever being made. At Carelon Behavioral Health, our network includes 115,000 care providers. But every month, our data shows that the supply of behavioral health providers can’t keep up with demand for services. It’s imperative that our healthcare system address this ever-urgent need, prioritizing inclusive mental health policies, and comprehensive support systems to address the “upstream” health challenges faced by young women (and men) in this country.

Improve maternal care

There has been a spotlight on maternal health in recent years, and justifiably so, as mortality statistics have been dismal. According to a recent Commonwealth Fund study, our maternal death rate is more than double—and sometimes it’s triple—that of the majority of other high-income countries, with even higher mortality rates for Black women.

Elevance Health insures roughly 1 in 8 babies born in the U.S. We feel a profound sense of responsibility to impact the lives of pregnant women and their families. And we have made progress in that regard; through an award-winning program featuring a hyper-collaborative value-based care clinical model, we’ve seen strong results:

• 12% reduction in preterm births
• 20% reduction in low-birth-weight babies
• 67% improvement in postpartum visit adherence

To be clear, maternal health is worthy of every dollar invested and every article written about it. Yet, too often this focus results in women’s health being defined by motherhood and excludes the majority of the broader journey.

Go beyond maternity

We know that many diseases are more prevalent in women than men, while others largely affect women. The mortality rate for breast cancer has been falling since 1990, and the number of women requiring chemotherapy after breast surgery is also declining due to an enhanced ability to determine when oral hormonal therapy is a better alternative. Such treatment pathways, developed in partnership between payers and external expert care providers, have successfully guided countless physicians to treatments that are safe, effective, and affordable—saving lives in the process.

Whereas breast cancer will affect about 12% of women in their lifetime, menopause impacts all women physically and emotionally—during the prime of their lives—for as long as a decade. Menopause symptoms can vary wildly in terms of severity depending on age and stage, and the impact goes beyond health; one recent study found that medical and prescription costs for women ages 45-54 with menopausal symptoms are 47% higher compared to women of the same age who are not symptomatic. It’s just one of the reasons we, as well as employers, are prioritizing menopausal care more than ever before.

The time is now

Women’s health is not a niche endeavor. We’re more than half of the population and health problems are rife throughout every phase of our journey. As these examples illustrate, closing the “women’s health gap” is not only the right thing to do, but also valuable. According to a recent McKinsey Health Institute report, doing so could lift the worldwide economy by $1 trillion by 2040. To get there, everyone needs to collaborate on solutions: payers, care providers, employers, community leaders, government at all levels, and more. By aligning strategies and resources towards a vision of whole health, we can create a future where every woman receives equitable, holistic, high-quality care. Our daughters deserve it.

Bryony Winn is president of Carelon Health, an Elevance Health company.