New Data Shows Women Spend Nearly 30% More Out of Pocket for Prescriptions Than Men

New data from GoodRx shows that “women consistently spend nearly 30% more out of pocket” for prescriptions than men.

The price gap is largely driven by “higher healthcare utilization and the financial burden of female-specific treatments.” Women spent $39.3 billion out of pocket on healthcare in 2024, while men spent $30.5 billion. Some common causes of this gap include “birth control, menopause treatments, or medications for conditions like endometriosis and postpartum depression.”

However, women are also spending more than men on a variety of medications for common health concerns, including acne, anxiety, and asthma. This trend reflects a broader pattern of women “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.”

Further driving the gap is the fact that many conditions that almost exclusively affect women require expensive treatments. For instance, women “spend an average of $29.38 per prescription for endometriosis treatments and $37.87 per prescription for morning sickness.” Out-of-pocket spending on “female-specific conditions exceeded $1.5 billion in 2024.”

In certain years, women between the ages of 18 to 44 have spent “up to 64% more on prescriptions than men, reflecting both higher utilization rates and the unique health conditions that disproportionately affect them.” The spending gap narrows in older age groups but never comes close to equalizing.

Men spend more than women in certain categories, including testosterone replacement therapy, atrial fibrillation treatments, and heart failure treatments. Still, the price gap remains high because of “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.”