Stepping into the new year, women are carrying a lot: caring for children, family, work, community—and still trying to protect their own health in a system that often feels unaffordable.Many are going without insurance because premiums are out of reach, but there are concrete, reasonable steps to get medical care and medications without full traditional coverage. Naming the reality: In the U.S., millions of women in their prime working and caregiving years remain uninsured, often skipping preventive care and necessary medicines because of cost.Some actually qualify for free or discounted coverage (like Medicaid or subsidized marketplace plans) but are not enrolled due to confusion, paperwork, or assumptions about ineligibility.This blog is for the woman who is doing everything for everyone else and quietly thinking, “I cannot afford to get sick.” Here are doable routes to preserve health, get meds, and access care even without standard insurance. First line: public programs worth a second look Even if past applications were denied, circumstances or rules may have changed. A fresh check each year can open doors.Medicaid and CHIP (for moms and kids)Many low-income women and children qualify for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), sometimes even when adults in the household do not realize it.Pregnancy, postpartum status, and low income can expand eligibility, and some states offer extended postpartum coverage and prenatal/postnatal care through Medicaid or CHIP. ACA / marketplace plans with subsidies: The Affordable Care Act marketplace offers sliding-scale premium tax credits that can dramatically lower monthly costs for women whose incomes fall within specific ranges.Some uninsured women fall into a “coverage gap” in states that did not expand Medicaid, but others qualify for subsidized plans and simply have not enrolled because of confusion or complexity.If you’re unemployed or between jobsDedicated federal guidance exists for people who are unemployed and trying to find coverage, including marketplace plans and possible Medicaid eligibility.Loss of employer insurance is usually a “qualifying life event,” which allows enrollment outside the usual open enrollment window.

"I thought colon cancer was something that only happened to men?" I have heard this more times than you can imagine. And sadly it is just a myth, and moreover, colon cancer, early onset cancer, and its mortality rate is rising among women in the United States. But WHY? Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is rising in women, and where a woman lives appears to shape both her risk and her chances of survival. This post brings together what is known about “hot spot” counties and the environmental, lifestyle, and social exposures that may be fueling earlier disease and poorer outcomes for young women. What are “hot spot” counties for young women?Researchers have identified clusters of U.S. counties where women under 50 have significantly higher mortality from EOCRC; about 1 in 16 counties met criteria as hot spots, with most in the South and some in the Midwest and Northeast. These counties tend to have more non-Hispanic Black residents, higher poverty, and community patterns of low physical activity, forming an environment where risk factors cluster and outcomes are worse. How the environment shapes riskEOCRC is increasingly viewed as a disease driven by our changing external environment: highly processed Western diets, more sedentary time, chronic stress, and built environments that discourage movement. County-level data show that hot-spot areas often have more adults reporting no leisure-time physical activity, more economic hardship, and local food and built environments that make it harder to be active and eat well. Weight, movement, and young womenIn a large cohort of over 85,000 women, those with obesity (BMI ≥ 30) had nearly twice the risk of EOCRC compared with women in the healthy BMI range, underscoring excess weight as a key driver in young women. Modeling work suggests that rising overweight and obesity explain roughly 28–30% of the increase in EOCRC incidence in adults 30–49, including women, linking broader societal changes in weight and activity to this disturbing trend. Food, sugary drinks, and the gutStudies show that a Western-style diet—high in red and processed meat, refined grains, added sugars, and low in fiber—along with high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and long sedentary time, is associated with higher EOCRC risk. Systematic reviews highlight that pro-inflammatory, high-sugar, and “microbial” diets (high in processed meats and low in plant foods) may promote a gut microbiome and chronic inflammation that set the stage for earlier tumor development. Pollution, workplace exposures, and community qualityCounty-level environmental quality indices suggest that poorer built environment and water quality are associated with higher odds of young-onset colorectal cancer compared with later-onset disease.Additional research links occupational exposures (dusts, fumes, industrial particles) and long-term air pollution (such as fine particulate matter) to increased colorectal cancer risk and worse survival, likely via DNA damage and chronic inflammation, which could matter even at younger ages. What this means for women in hot-spot areasFor women living in hot-spot counties, the challenge is not just individual choices but environments that promote inactivity, limit access to healthy food, and layer in economic and racial inequities. Studies in U.S. women show that geography and behaviors together explain around one-third of the variation in EOCRC survival, meaning that where a woman lives—and the community resources around her—can literally change her odds. For an EmpowerHer-style message, this science can be turned into action: encouraging women—especially in higher-risk areas—to know their family history, take symptoms seriously (like blood in the stool or unexplained abdominal pain), advocate for themselves in medical settings, and lean into what is changeable: moving more, cutting back on sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods, and supporting community efforts that improve access to healthy living.