Did you know about the findings from the most recent Kaiser Women's Health Study? It's not pretty.

Women and Health Care: A National Profile, is based on a survey of 2,766 women age 18 and older, conducted in 2004 and released in 2005. Here's what it reveals:

* 23 percent of women have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety, over twice the rate for men (11 percent).

* Nearly four in 10 women (38 percent), have a chronic condition, such as diabetes, asthma or hypertension that requires ongoing medical attention, compared to 30 percent of men.

* Two-thirds of women without health insurance report that they delay or go without care that they believe they need, because they cannot afford it.

* 20 percent of women said they did not fill a prescription in the past year because of the cost.

* 14 percent of women report skipping or taking smaller doses of their prescribed medications in the past year, to make them last longer.

* Eight in 10 mothers have primary responsibility for choosing their children’s doctors (79 percent), taking them to appointments (84 percent), and ensuring that they receive follow-up care (78 percent).

* Pap testing rates among women ages 18 to 64 have fallen since 2001 - currently only 76 percent.

* One in 10 women (12 percent) care for a sick or aging relative. Among this group, forty percent are low-income, 46 percent have a chronic health condition of their own, and 29 percent provide more than 40 hours of care per week.

This data should serve as a stark reminder to advocates, policy-makers, and practitioners that there is much work yet to be done. Not only is women's health suffering, but the children (and elders) whose care they provide may be at risk, too.

Let's get busy!

(For more about the survey's methodology and findings, click here.)