This article reviews the broad spectrum of women's major health problems from a public health paradigm, which balances the need for individual freedoms and overall equity. The article begins with a brief analysis of the recroachment of women's issues and lack of reform consensus on the abundance of health issues. Specific issues discussed include social ones such as poverty and violence against women, the competition of preventive and treatment resources, specific access to care through insurance mechanisms, treatment and pharmaceutical disparities, personnel gender gaps, and iatrogenic disease pertinent to women. A lengthy agenda is presented from professional literature, research findings, and women's interest group statements. This agenda is forthright and not politically timid, presenting serious challenges to the Clinton team.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Cancer Society . (1992). Cancer facts and figures, 1992 (breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer). New York: Author.
2.
American College Health Association . (1990). Women and AIDS [Information fact sheet]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
3.
Blendon, R. (1988). The public's view of the future of health care. Journal of the American Medical Association, 259, 3587-3593.
4.
Brook, R. H. , Ware, K. E., Rogers, W. H., Keeler, E. B., Davies, A. R., Donald, C. A., Goldberg, G. A., Lohr, K., Masthay, P. C., & Newhouse, J. P. (1983). Does free care improve adults' health?New England Journal of Medicine, 309, 1426-1434.
5.
Buehler, J. W. (1992). The surveillance definition for AIDS. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 1462-1463.
6.
Buehler, J. W. , Hanson, D. L., & Chu, S. (1992). The reporting of HIV/AIDS deaths in women. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 1500-1505.
7.
Centers for Disease Control . (1991). Cigarette smoking among reproductive aged women—Behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 1989. Journal of the American Medical Association, 266, 3111-3112.
8.
Centers for Disease Control (1992). Update: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome—US, 1991. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 41, 463-468.
9.
Consumer's Union. (1992, July). Wasted health care dollars. Consumer Reports, pp. 435-448.
10.
Clancy, C. M. , & Massion, C. T. (1992). American women's health care: A patchwork quilt with gaps. Journal of the American Medical Association, 268, 1918-1920.
11.
Crowe, M. , Bjornson, E., & Sunkenik, J. D. (1992). Some common and uncommon health and medical problems. In The new our bodies, ourselves: Updated expanded for the 1990s (pp. 598-599). Boston: Boston Women's Health Book Collective.
12.
Davis, K. , Gold, M., & Makuc, D. (1981). Access to health care for the poor: Does the gap remain?Annual Review of Public Health, 2, 159-182.
13.
Gould, J. B. , Davey, B., & Stafford, R. S. (1989). Socioeconomic differences in rates of cesarean section. New England Journal of Medicine, 321, 233.
14.
Grimes, D. A. , & Cook, R. J. (1992). Mifepristone (RU486)—An abortifacient to prevent abortion?New England Journal of Medicine, 327, 1088-1089.
15.
Hadorn, D. C. (1991). Setting health care priorities in Oregon: Cost-effectiveness meets the rule of rescue. Journal of the American Medical Association, 265, 2218-2225.
16.
Harvey, B. (1990). A proposal to provide health insurance to all children and all pregnant women. New England Journal of Medicine, 323, 1216-1220.
17.
Heise, L. (1992, November). Violence, health and development programs. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
18.
Horovitz, B. (1988, July 24). Selling a health hazard. Los Angeles Times, pp. 1-5.
19.
Kasper, J. D. (1986). Health status and utilization: Differences by Medicaid coverage and income. Health Care Financing Review, 7(4), 1-17.
20.
Kirchstein, R. L. (1991). Research on women's health. American Journal of Public Health, 81, 291-294.
21.
Lazarus, M. , & Lanzerotti, R. (1992). Violence against women. In New our bodies ourselves, Updated and expanded for the 1990s (pp. 131-150). Boston: Boston Women's Health Book Collective.
22.
Leavitt, J. , & Walsh, M. (1984). Women and health in America: An overview. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
23.
Lieberman, A. B. (1987). Easing labor pain. New York: Doubleday.
24.
Litman, T. J. , & Robins, L. S. (1991). Health politics and policy (2nd ed.). New York: Delmar.
25.
McTiernan, A. (1987, Spring). How does breastfeeding protect against cancer?Breastfeeding Abstracts, p. 3.
26.
National Abortion Federation . (1992). Fact sheets: Teenage women, abortion, and the law; economics of abortion; safety of abortion; women who have abortions; abortion after twelve weeks. Washington, DC: Author.
27.
National Cancer Institute . (1992). Cancer fact sheets. Chicago: Author.
28.
National Center for Health Statistics . (1990). National health interview survey data. Hyattsville, MD: Author.
29.
National Center for Health Statistics . (1992). Health, United States 1991 and prevention profile (DHHS Publication No. PHS 92-1232). Hyattsville, MD: Author.
30.
National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association . (1992, October 23). NFPRHA Report, p. 1.
31.
National Women's Health Network . (1992). RU486: What you need to know. Washington, DC: Author.
32.
Navarro, V. (1991). Race or class or race and class: Growing mortality differentials in the U.S. International Journal of Health Services, 21, 229-235.
33.
Petros-Barvazian, A. , & Merson, M. H. (1992). Women and AIDS: A challenge for humanity. In World health. Geneva: World Health Organization.
34.
Rigotti, N. A. , & Pashos, C. L. (1991). No-smoking laws in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 266, 3162-3167.
35.
Rosenfield, A. (1992). RU486. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 1323-1324.
36.
Roter, D. , Lipkin, M., & Korsgaard, A. (1991). Sex differences in patients' and physicians communications during primary care medical visits. Medical Care, 29, 1083-1093.
37.
Russell, L. B. (1992, Summer). Opportunity costs in modern medicine. Health Affairs, pp. 163-169.
38.
Scully, D. (1980). Men who control women's health: The mis-education of obstetriciangynecologists. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
39.
Sofaer, S. , & Abel, E. (1990). Older women's health and financial vulnerability: Implications of the Medicare benefit structure. Women's Health, 16, 47-67.
40.
Stephanson, P. , Wagner, M., Badea, M., & Serbanescu, F. (1992). The public health consequences of restricted abortion. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 1328-1331.
41.
Susser, R. (1992). Induced abortion and health as a value. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 1323-2324.
42.
Tavris, C. (1992). The mismeasure of woman. New York: Simon & Schuster.
43.
Tussing, D. A. , & Wojtowycz, M. A. (1992). The cesarean decision in New York State, 1986: Economic and noneconomic aspects. Medical Care, 30, 529-540.
44.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . (1992). Health care financing administration annual expenditure estimates: Early release of 1992 data. Washington, DC: Author.
45.
U.S. Bureau of the Census . (1991). 1990 current population survey (Data tapes). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce.
46.
Why so few women doctors in research? (1992, June 22). American Medical News, p. 3.
47.
Woods, N. F. (1985). New models of women's health care. Health Care Women International, 6, 193-208.
48.
Worscter, N. , & Orloff, L. (1992, November). Mandatory arrest laws as a response to domestic violence: A double edged sword. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
49.
Zero Population Growth . (1992). Abortion in America: Special report. Washington, DC: Author.
