Chronically ill, chronically broke: Why medical bias doesn’t just hurt — it costs

Inclusive healthcare… in this economy?

Living with chronic illness is expensive — especially if you're a woman, trans or gender-diverse. And it’s even harder in the cost-of-living crisis.

In this episode, we unpack the hidden costs of being an unwell woman — from income loss when you’re living with undiagnosed symptoms or chronic illness, to skyrocketing specialist fees. We also ask: why does Medicare still leave so many behind?

Plus, we hear from Jacinta Dietrich (co-host of the Differently Brained podcast) and MJ O’Neill about how they juggle high out-of-pocket medical costs with work, life, and the mental load of navigating healthcare admin.

If you’ve ever felt “too sick to work, too broke to rest,” this episode’s for you.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode mentions ableism, transphobia and suicidal thoughts.

Guests in this episode:

• Peter Breadon, Health Program Director at Grattan Institute
• Kat Theophanous MP, Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Northcote
• Dr Imaan Joshi, Sydney-based specialist GP focused on women’s health, menopausal health and procedural work involving skin
• MJ O’Neill, Brisbane-based freelance adviser with lived experience of several chronic health conditions
• Jacinta Dietrich, Melbourne-based co-host of the Differently Brained podcast, author and PhD student, living with auDHD and chronic fatigue syndrome

Resources for this episode:

• "Women spend more of their money on health care than men. And no, it’s not just about ‘women’s issues’,” Dr Mike Armour et al, 2025.
• “Closing the Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies,” World Economic Forum, 2024.
• “Disability and the labour force,” Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020.
• Show me where it hurts, Kylie Maslen, 2020.
• “Gender and employees with disability,” Gender Equality Commission Victoria, 2023.
• "Disruption of gender-affirming health care, and COVID-19 illness, testing, and vaccination among trans Australians during the pandemic: a cross-sectional survey", Dr Sav Zwickl, Tomi Ruggles et al, 2023.
• “Recent estimates of the out-of-pocket expenditure on health care in Australia,” Farhat Yusuf et al, 2020.
• “The cost of illness and economic burden of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain in Australia: A national online survey”  Dr Mike Armour et al, 2019.
• “Health conditions prevalence,” Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2023.