Older Women Face Unique Barriers to Obtaining Healthcare

For Americans living in rural areas, obtaining and maintaining healthcare can be challenging. Aside from common barriers, including shortages of care providers and facilities, older women face additional challenges, according to Kay Libbus, a public health researcher at the University of Missouri. Libbus says that women aged 50 to 65 living in rural areas are at-risk for inadequate healthcare coverage and limited access to health information.

"There is a gap in healthcare access for women ages 50 to 65 living in rural areas," says Kay Libbus, DrPH, RN, a professor in the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing. "These women are beyond child-bearing age, susceptible to developing chronic diseases and often retired or leaving the workforce—and these factors make it difficult to maintain health insurance or obtain new coverage. Rural communities are in need of interventions to address this issue."

Women in the 50 to 65 age group often lose insurance coverage at retirement and don't qualify for Medicare, Libbus says. Additionally, these women have less access to health information because of limited internet and technology access, which contributes to decreased understanding of their health risks. Transportation to clinics and sites that offer affordable healthcare also is a problem in rural areas.

— Source: University of Missouri-Columbia