As we welcome Breast Cancer Awareness Month, organizations are facing a stark reality—despite frequent reminders and expanded care coverage, only about half of employees will actually schedule essential preventive healthcare tasks like mammograms this year.
As a result, employers are realizing that traditional benefits packages, no matter how robust, can’t overcome the psychological and logistical barriers that keep employees from prioritizing preventive care. And with new coverage requirements mandating even more access to women’s healthcare in 2026, the question isn’t whether employees have the benefits they need—it’s whether they’ll actually use them.
The current women’s health crisis in the U.S. presents both a sobering reminder of what's at stake—as well as a clear opportunity for workplace wellness programs to make a real difference. The solution lies in understanding what stops employees from seeking essential healthcare like mammograms—and how the right incentive programs can turn participation from an uphill battle into a shared success story that saves both lives and healthcare dollars.
The numbers behind women’s health complications tell a story that extends far beyond hospital walls.
Female morbidity rates that stem from a lack of early intervention costs the U.S. an estimated $32.30 billion annually. What's particularly concerning? This staggering figure only accounts for nine common women’s health conditions—meaning the true economic impact likely eclipses even this massive number.
When preventive care falls through the cracks, the consequences multiply quickly. The pandemic offered a stark example—in 2020, breast cancer screenings plummeted by 96.6% and cervical cancer screenings dropped by 90.5% compared to the previous year.
The result? Conditions that should be caught early get discovered at advanced stages instead.
Mental health conditions unique to women provide yet another sobering example. While these disorders affect one in five women, less than 15% of positive screens actually receive follow-up assessment and treatment.
Women from lower-income communities and communities of color face even wider screening gaps, creating a two-tiered system where those most at risk receive the least support.
The true price tag extends well beyond immediate medical bills. Medical costs represent 58% of that $32.30 billion figure, while nonmedical costs—lost productivity, increased social services, and long-term child impacts—account for the remaining 42%.
Productivity losses from at-risk female workers alone reach $6.60 billion, making this crisis a workforce issue as much as a healthcare challenge.
However, preventing just half of avoidable women’s health complications could save approximately $78.60 billion annually in expanded care. Those are dollars that could strengthen employee wellness initiatives, improve benefits packages, or boost organizational competitiveness.
Even when employers offer comprehensive health benefits, getting employees to complete life-saving health screenings remains an uphill battle.
The barriers aren't simple to solve, and they go far deeper than most benefits administrators realize. But when you dig into the research, three major obstacles emerge that keep women from accessing preventive care—and understanding these roadblocks becomes the foundation for building incentive programs that bridge gaps in care.
Only about 65% of women ages 50-74 with three or more health-related social needs stay on top of their mammograms. Cost stands as the primary culprit, with 22% of women citing inability to afford out-of-pocket expenses—but financial constraints reveal only part of the story.
Medical mistrust creates another significant hurdle, particularly for women of color who report lower satisfaction with available resources compared to white women. Cultural barriers compound the problem—43% of Black women and 45% of Hispanic women report stigma around seeking cancer services, compared to just 23% of white women.
Transportation can also decrease screening likelihood by 26.4%, hitting rural and low-income communities hardest. When you factor in work schedules, childcare responsibilities, and limited appointment availability, the path to preventive care becomes increasingly too complicated to follow through on.
One in 5 working women currently suffers from a mental health condition—yet 75% of all women’s mental health conditions remain untreated and undiagnosed.
Stigma drives much of this crisis. On top of avoiding help due to societal judgment, many working women often hide mental health symptoms, leading to delayed or completely absent screening.
The healthcare system itself also creates gaps. When mental health services operate separately from obstetric and pediatric care, serious conditions slip through the cracks undetected, creating a fragmented approach that fails women when they need support most.
The reality hits working mothers especially hard. A recent poll commissioned by the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention shows 29% of women skip preventive care because they don't think it's necessary, while 19% cite work, childcare, and school obligations as immense barriers.
Even "free" services aren't actually free. Hidden costs include transportation ranging from $0.74 to $6.60 per visit, with total time investment averaging 3.75 hours per appointment. Waiting times alone average 1.89 hours—a significant burden for working women juggling multiple responsibilities.
The numbers tell the complete story—15% of women miss scheduled visits due to financial constraints, while another 9% can't make appointments due to time limitations. Limited provider availability makes scheduling appointments a days-long planning process, creating yet another obstacle for busy employees.
When employees skip essential health screenings like mammograms, it's rarely because they don't understand the importance—it's because competing priorities and daily pressures make healthy choices feel impossible to prioritize.
Financial incentives cut through this challenge by addressing the real psychological barriers that keep even the most health-conscious working women from following through on preventive care. And when incentives can be customized in an accessible wellness platform to meet an employee’s real-life needs, entire organizations stand to reap the benefits.
Workplace wellness incentive programs work because they tap into fundamental human psychology. The most effective approaches provide immediate rewards right after employees complete health goals and offer customizable options for more complex behaviors.
These psychological principles bridge the gap between knowing what's healthy and actually taking action—a disconnect that affects even the most motivated employees.
Standalone health education and resources often fall short in workplace wellness programs because health decisions aren't purely logical. Process-based incentives focus on motivating near-term behaviors that create lasting healthy habits.
Workplace wellness programs designed specifically for working women demonstrate this principle in action. When presented with meaningful rewards and progress visuals, participants show substantial improvements in mental health outcomes, with measurable reductions in stress related to childcare, economic concerns, and personal health issues.
The best wellness platforms make incentives feel natural rather than transactional. Successful implementation requires platforms that create genuine connection to earned rewards.
These systems offer tailored incentives that communicate value beyond cash—ideally rewards that directly support healthy behaviors. Most importantly, effective platforms personalize incentives, making rewards proportional to the effort required for specific health behavior changes.
At the end of the day, when employees feel the incentive matches the ask, participation rates soar.
The most effective women’s health incentive programs don't just hand out rewards during special observances like Breast Cancer Awareness Month—they create lasting engagement systems that evolve with your workforce needs.
Success comes from building smart, sustainable strategies that keep employees motivated long after the initial excitement wears off.
Think of your wellness platform as the central command center for health engagement. When incentives integrate seamlessly with existing systems, employees can easily track their progress toward rewards without juggling multiple apps or platforms.
The best platforms offer flexibility in reward types, from premium discounts and HSA contributions to paid time off and gift cards that can help out entire families. Technology should simplify participation, not complicate it—which is why employees need straightforward ways to upload documentation, track milestones, and claim rewards through mobile-friendly interfaces.
Strategic wellness incentive programs collect insights from multiple touchpoints to create targeted engagement strategies.
The most effective programs combine electronic health records, biometric data, and self-reported information to identify which employees need the most support. This allows you to offer higher incentives to those facing the greatest barriers while providing appropriate rewards for those with easier access to care.
Location shouldn't determine life-or-death healthcare access. Your incentive program must account for these realities through thoughtful design, targeted support, and multichannel communication and access.
Track engagement across demographics—race, ethnicity, language preferences, and insurance types—to spot participation gaps early. When disparities emerge, adjust your approach with higher incentives for underserved groups, transportation vouchers, or flexible scheduling options that meet people where they are.
Financial returns tell only part of the story. The most successful programs measure Value on Investment (VOI) and Social ROI alongside traditional metrics.
VOI captures the broader impact of helping working women attend appointments, reducing emergency interventions, and supporting healthier lifestyles that benefit families for years to come. Your measurement strategy should track participation rates, employee satisfaction scores, absenteeism changes, and health outcomes over time.
These data points help you refine incentive amounts, identify the most effective rewards, and build compelling business cases for program expansion. The goal isn't just to prove your program works—it's to continuously improve results while demonstrating clear value to stakeholders who control future wellness budgets.
Every day, employees skip essential screenings due to time constraints, cost concerns, and access barriers that seem insurmountable. Meanwhile, women’s health complications cost the U.S. economy billions, with women of color bearing a disproportionate share of both the health and financial burden.
The good news? Financial incentives cut through these barriers in ways that education alone cannot. Rather than hoping employees will have the time to schedule appointments, strategic rewards tap into the psychological drivers that actually change behavior.
When programs focus on making participation easier rather than explaining why it matters, engagement follows naturally.
Ready to turn your women’s health benefits into a competitive advantage? Get in touch with our experts to see what your platform needs to spark participation.