| HEALTH SERVICES UTILIZATION |
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While most health care expenses were paid by some type of private or public insurance in 1997, 20.1 percent of women's health care expenses were paid out of pocket. Women were slightly more likely than men to pay their health care expenses out-of-pocket, through private insurance, or through Medicaid. Women were slightly less likely than men to pay their expenses through Medicare, other public programs, and other sources.
Though the mean annual expense for health services was $2,514 for women, the mean amount for hospital inpatient and home health services was much higher at $9,375 and $4,861, respectively. The mean annual expense for prescriptions, dental services, and other medical equipment and services was under $500 for each of these categories. Though men had a slightly lower mean annual expense for health services, they had a much higher mean amount than women for hospital inpatient services ($12,966 for males as compared to $9,375 for females) and lower expenses for outpatient care such as ambulatory services, prescriptions, dental care, and home health care.
