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SANTA MONICA, Calif. — New data released Monday from GoodRx reveals that women consistently spend nearly 30% more out of pocket. This price gap is driven by higher healthcare utilization and the financial burden of female-specific treatments. From reproductive health to mental health and chronic conditions that disproportionately affect women, the costs of care are unavoidable and accumulate over a lifetime.
In 2024, women spent a staggering $39.3 billion out of pocket on healthcare, compared to $30.5 billion spent by men. That’s an $8.8 billion gap. Whether it's recurring costs for birth control, menopause treatments, or medications for conditions like endometriosis and postpartum depression, women are paying an unspoken premium simply to maintain their health. These hidden healthcare costs add another dimension to the infamous "pink tax," or the well-documented pricing disparities for consumer goods that women face.
Women pay the price
The gender gap in out-of-pocket healthcare costs can't be boiled down to a single factor. Part of it stems from the fact that women have unique healthcare needs that require proactive management. Women tend to visit healthcare professionals more frequently than men, leading to more prescriptions, treatments, and ultimately, higher costs.
But this isn’t just about spending more — it’s about avoiding even greater costs down the line. Many of the conditions women manage, from migraines to anxiety to asthma, can have debilitating effects if left untreated, leading to lost productivity, diminished quality of life, and even higher medical expenses in the future.
For example, women spend significantly more than men on a variety of medications, including medications that treat common health concerns. For example, women spend more on:
- Acne treatments: 103% more
- Anxiety medications: 103% more
- Asthma medications: 33% more
- Migraine medications: 351% more
- Dry eye medications: 326% more
- Constipation treatments: 69% more
Women also significantly outspend men on mental health treatments. Women spend 113% more on depression medications and 103% more on anxiety treatments. Bipolar disorder treatments also show a 46% higher spending rate among women. These disparities are likely driven by higher prescription fill rates — women fill prescriptions for depression 112% more often than men. Insomnia medications also reflect a similar trend, with women spending 58% more and filling 66% more prescriptions than men.
This disparity isn’t just about the medications being more expensive — it’s about the higher number of prescriptions women are filling. Conditions like acne, anxiety, and asthma are more commonly treated with long-term medications, which results in women needing to fill prescriptions more frequently.
This trend reflects a broader pattern: Women are treating healthcare needs that often require ongoing attention, whether for routine treatments or the management of chronic conditions. As a result, women are filling more frequently, which can lead to greater out-of-pocket costs over time. These recurring costs build up, contributing significantly to the gender gap in healthcare spending.
Ultimately, the higher frequency of doctor visits and prescription fills for women are key factors in driving this gap. From regular checkups to more frequent treatments, women’s increased engagement with the healthcare system translates to higher out-of-pocket spending.
Female-specific conditions drive $1.5 billion in spending
A significant portion of the gender gap in healthcare spending comes from conditions that almost exclusively affect women. From menopause to birth control to postpartum depression, women are shouldering hundreds of millions of dollars in out-of-pocket costs each year.
Some conditions, like menopause, require multiple treatments. Despite being a normal part of aging, the costs of managing the wide-ranging symptoms of menopause can add up quickly. With an average cost of $16.95 per prescription, managing hot flashes, mood swings, and bone loss can present a financial burden. Even small, recurring expenses can create a significant financial burden over time. Such is the case with birth control. Although it costs $3.07 per prescription, birth control is usually a monthly cost that gets filled over an extended period of time.
But some of the most staggering costs come from conditions that demand expensive specialized treatments. Women spend an average of $29.38 per prescription for endometriosis treatments and $37.87 per prescription for morning sickness.
Beyond strictly medical concerns, women are spending millions out of pocket on treatments that reflect the blurred line between healthcare and cosmetic necessity. Women make up 97% of fills for eyelash growth and 93% of fills for facial wrinkles.
Altogether, out-of-pocket spending on these female-specific conditions exceeded $1.5 billion in 2024, placing a disproportionate financial burden on women for simply maintaining their health and well-being. As insurance coverage gaps persist and many of these treatments remain costly essentials rather than luxuries, the data highlights the urgent need for better affordability measures.
The age divide is Rx spending
Women between the ages of 18 to 44 bear the brunt of out-of-pocket prescription costs. And this comes at a time when many are juggling career growth, family planning, and caregiving for both young children and aging parents. In certain years, women in this age range have spent up to 64% more on prescriptions than men, reflecting both higher utilization rates and the unique health conditions that disproportionately affect them.
Even among older adults, where the spending gap narrows, women continue to outspend men. In 2024, women ages 45 to 64 spent 35% more, and women over 65 still outspent men by 17%.
Birth control is a major driver of this disparity. Despite relatively low costs per prescription, the expense adds up over time. Fertility treatments and menopause place an even greater burden on women.
Interestingly, the only age group where men consistently outspend women is children under 18. Boys’ prescription costs are roughly 20% to 30% higher than girls’, a trend likely driven by higher rates of ADHD diagnoses and treatment in young males.
These findings point to a deeper issue of gender-based disparities in healthcare affordability. The financial burden women face — whether from higher prescription costs, insurance gaps, or systemic pricing structures — raises urgent questions about policy solutions and healthcare reforms. As prescription costs continue to rise, addressing these inequalities remains critical for ensuring fair and accessible healthcare for all.
Where do men spend more?
While women overwhelmingly outspend men on prescriptions due to higher healthcare utilization and female-specific conditions, there are a few key areas where men are paying significantly more. These conditions are largely tied to cardiovascular health, metabolic disorders, and male-specific treatments.
One of the biggest drivers of the spending gap is testosterone replacement therapy, where men spend 173% more than women. This treatment is commonly used to address age-related declines in testosterone levels, a condition that affects far more men than women. Similarly, men spend more on prostate-related conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer treatments.
Men also spend 14% more on atrial fibrillation treatments, and 79% more on heart failure treatments. They also outspend women by 20% on high cholesterol medications and 88% on treatments for high triglycerides. These conditions align with broader trends in cardiovascular health, where men tend to have higher risks for heart disease at younger ages compared to women.
While women’s healthcare costs remain higher overall, these figures illustrate how gendered health risks influence prescription spending patterns.
Summing it all up
The "pink tax" is traditionally defined as the practice of charging women more than men for identical goods and services, from razors to dry cleaning. While this well-documented phenomenon reflects explicit pricing disparities, our research suggests that the pink tax extends far beyond everyday consumer goods — it also manifests in the hidden costs of healthcare.
Women in the U.S. are paying an unspoken premium simply for maintaining their health. They are facing price markups on products marketed to them while also spending significantly more out of pocket on prescriptions and medical treatments. This financial burden stems from higher healthcare utilization, the need to manage more chronic conditions, and the reality that many female-specific health needs come with recurring costs that add up over time.
This systemic financial burden can be viewed as a covert form of the pink tax — one that isn’t as visible as product price markups but is just as impactful. Women are not only paying more for the same products, they are also paying more because their healthcare needs are different and often more expensive.
