Women pay up to 50% more for health insurance premiums

[The Straight Story]

Women pay up to 50% more for health insurance premiums

Checking the "female" box when buying health insurance is likely to cost extra — perhaps up to 50 percent more than a man would pay for the same coverage.

Gender-rating — or what some term as flat-out sexual discrimination — is linked to the simple fact that women, particularly those under age 50 or so, go to the doctor more often than men.

But outrage over how women are treated in the individual health insurance market is mounting as stories emerge of companies refusing to cover maternity benefits and denying coverage because of past domestic violence or cesarean sections, including a Colorado woman who was told she would have to get sterilized to qualify for insurance.

Federal proposals, as well as pending state legislation, would ban gender-rating and require maternity coverage, even as the insurance industry warns that lowering premiums for younger women could mean higher premiums for most everyone else.

Colorado women age 40 and under shopping for health insurance in the individual market, not through an employer, pay from 10 percent to 59 percent more than men, according to analysis by the National Women's Law Center.

http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_13636522?source=commented-news

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. By about age 50 or 55, men typically begin using health services more than women,

By about age 50 or 55, men typically begin using health services more than women, and premiums for older men are typically more expensive than those for older women, said Ben Price, executive director of the Colorado Association of Health Plans.

[madmax]

2. We pay more for everything!

Dry cleaning is a pet peeve of mine but, not terribly important in the grand scheme of things.

Maybe they charge more because we have more parts that can need work.

Ok, nuf being silly about this because it's not at all funny. It's an outrage. Add this amongst other gender based inequalities such as coverage for Viagra but, not birth control. :grr: We've got a long way to go, baby. They just keep nickel and dimeing us to death.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

11. paying more while earning less

:mad:

[JonQ]

18. If women end up costing more in health care coverage

shouldn't they be charged more?

Smokers get charged extra, as do those with family histories that indicate poor health.

It seems they're just going by the numbers. No doubt if men ended up costing more then men would be charged more.

And are you likewise outraged that men get charged more for auto insurance?

[Fridays Child]

3. When she turned fourteen, my daughter's premium almost doubled.

[NightWatcher]

4. it's because they have pre-existing vaginas

all older men have is the pre-existing asshole and the associated probs that come with htose later in life.

[Better Today]

8. Bravo! Well said!

[Fridays Child]

19. Second that!

[juno jones]

21. ....

:loveya:

I gotta remember that one!

[DURHAM D]

5. Passage of the ERA would have prevented this disparity.

This is exactly why the insurance companies spent so much money defeating it. The msm did not report this fact - they protected the corporate interests then as now.

[niyad]

22. how well I remember that little fact-- women paid more for life insurance as well.

[Digit]

6. I was told it was because our "plumbing" is on the inside

Seriously, I kid you not.

[paulsby]

7. and they pay less for auto insurance fwiw nt

[JonQ]

17. That is a form of gender discrimination

that they seem to be ok with.

[niyad]

26. women are better drivers than men.

[JonQ]

27. Some are some aren't

but are you saying that because of a certain type of behavior that seems to be more prevalent in one sex over the other that ends up saving the insurance companies money it is acceptable to charge differently based on gender?

Well shucks I agree.

[gateley]

9. And we probably get 50% less covered care, too. I told

my doctor that if menopause occurred in men, there would be a cure for it and insurance companies would foot the bill. He agreed. :grr:

[ProSense]

10. In May, Senator Kerry introduced a bill to address this.

05/05/2009

Kerry Introduces Legislation to End Gender Disparity in Individual Health Insurance Market

Washington, DC - Senator John Kerry today introduced legislation that would improve health care benefits for women in the individual market by preventing insurers from charging them more, denying or limiting coverage based on their pregnancy status or delivery method, and ensuring comprehensive maternity coverage.

Kerry introduced his legislation, "The Women's Health Insurance Fairness Act," following a report released in September 2008 by the National Women's Law Center. Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women chronicled the disparity between men and women who purchase health insurance coverage in the individual market. The report found that: insurance companies can reject applicants for a variety of reasons particularly relevant to women; it is difficult and costly for women to find health insurance that covers maternity care; and women often face higher premiums than men for identical coverage.

"The disparity between women and men in the individual insurance market is just plain wrong and it has to change," said Senator Kerry. "With Mother's Day around the corner, there's no better gift to American women than discrimination-free, affordable and accessible insurance that meets their health needs."

Two-thirds of all American women aged 18 to 64 receive health insurance from their employer and are protected by federal and state laws that prevent them from charging employees different premiums or excluding maternity coverage. The 5.7 million women forced to buy coverage in the individual insurance market rely on state regulation for fair treatment, but the vast majority of states provide few, if any, protections for women.

"My home state has set a perfect example of how we should be dealing with insurers to prevent practices that harm women," said Senator Kerry. "The state of Massachusetts prohibits gender rating and requires plans to cover maternity services. The rest of the country would benefit from following this lead."

The Women's Health Insurance Fairness Act would:

· prevent insurers in the individual market from charging women higher premiums than men;

· prevent insurers in the individual market from denying or limiting coverage based on a current or past pregnancy or past or future method of delivery (such as a Cesarean section);

· require all insurance policies offered on the individual market to provide comprehensive maternity coverage for the full scope of maternity services from preconception through postpartum;

· provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services with the authority to monitor compliance with the requirements of this Act and assess fines of at least $10,000 against any health insurance company that fails to submit the required data; and

· direct the Government Accountability Office to issue a report by December 31, 2010 about problems remaining for women on the individual insurance market in all 50 states and DC following enactment of this Act.

This legislation is supported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Children's Defense Fund, Consumers Union, Families USA, National Partnership for Women & Families, OWL - The Voice of Midlife and Older Women, and the Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH).

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. thanks for this. Kerry's very impressive, again. n/t

[LittleBlue]

13. Maternity should be optional.

That's the big cost: deliver a baby and charge $10k. If you want a child, pay additional (check the box).

[seabeyond]

15. you have to pay extra to have insurance cover preg. women pay more, without the added preg cost

women coverage does not coverage preg unless you pay extra for it, but that isnt what this article is addressing.

[RayOfHope]

20. If you're self insured, it is optional. For me it was an extra $90/mo. n/t

[naaman fletcher]

14. Is it flat out discrimination, or

do women use 50% more healthcare?

The article doesn't say. If they use 50% more healthcare then of course their care should cost 50% more.

[JonQ]

16. If women use more money for healthcare then men then of course they should be charged more

Men, especially young men, get the privledge of paying more for car insurance because the statistics show that men are more likely to have a claim than a women. No one seems to mind that.

And "perhaps upwards of 50% more" sounds like in reality it rarely is that different.

[Skittles]

25. whoa

it says they go to the doctor more - probably preventative stuff included - that's GOOD, not bad - prevents higher costs down the road

[JonQ]

29. Not necessarily

going to the doctor costs money, getting treated costs money, dropping dead of a heart attack because you never went to the doctor is fairly cheap.

The notion that frequent doctor visits will reduce medical costs is true only in certain cases.

And obviously in this case the numbers back that assertion up. Women cost insurers more, so they are charged more. That's basic stuff for insurance companies.

[Skittles]

30. well, I'm a woman and I am discriminated against

because I don't use doctors any more than a freaking man does - and don't EVEN bother comparing the cost of CAR insurance to HEALTH insurance

[JonQ]

31. Boo hoo

I'm a man and I drive very safely so poor me for having to be penalized for all those other irresponsible kids.


What if you are a smoker who never develops lung cancer or any ill health effects? Is it fair that you are charged more because the numbers indicate you are more likely to be unhealthy?

What about people with family histories of illness?

You can't control that, it's not your fault, and it will cost you.

Don't try to make this a sexist thing, it's a numbers thing and surprise surprise women and men are different. Most figured this out in grade school, some took a little while.

I don't mean to alarm you but women also pay more for haircuts on average than men. Do you know why?

[Skittles]

32. boo fucking hoo to you

women as a rule pay more for lots of things - and we get PAID LESS TOO - now kindly fuck off - I am DONE

[JonQ]

33. Women as a rule pay more for things because . . .

they want/need things that cost more.

And the pay gap is mostly a myth.

[niyad]

23. k and r

[lumberjack_jeff]

24. Does anyone worry about the "flat-out sexual discrimination" inherent in auto insurance premiums?

Young men pay lots more because they are involved in more serious accidents.

Maybe there are good policy reasons for forcing insurers to be blind to the applicants age/gender/race/occupation/health, but there are reasons beyond simple conspiracy that cause premiums to be the way they are.

[JonQ]

28. Nope, must be sexism

and it should be ignored when it benefits women.

[seafan]

34. 'Checking the "female" box when buying health insurance is likely to cost extra.'

Go get 'em, digby.

Reason number 3,272 why we should trust insurance companies to be good corporate citizens and keep their premiums low after the government hands them tens of millions of new customers:

Checking the "female" box when buying health insurance is likely to cost extra — perhaps up to 50 percent more than a man would pay for the same coverage.

Gender-rating — or what some term as flat-out sexual discrimination — is linked to the simple fact that women, particularly those under age 50 or so, go to the doctor more often than men.

But outrage over how women are treated in the individual health insurance market is mounting as stories emerge of companies refusing to cover maternity benefits and denying coverage because of past domestic violence or cesarean sections, including a Colorado woman who was told she would have to get sterilized to qualify for insurance.

Federal proposals, as well as pending state legislation, would ban gender-rating and require maternity coverage, even as the insurance industry warns that lowering premiums for younger women could mean higher premiums for most everyone else.

Colorado women age 40 and under shopping for health insurance in the individual market, not through an employer, pay from 10 percent to 59 percent more than men, according to analysis by the National Women's Law Center.

They pay more even when maternity coverage is not included. And in many cases, a female nonsmoker pays more for health coverage than a man who smokes.

"Women should not be penalized because their plumbing works differently and needs ongoing maintenance," Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marcy Morrison told a state health care task force.

Isn't that great? Because women are the ones who bear the physical burden of gestation and the responsibility that entails, they are paying up to 50% more in premiums. When Jon Kyl whined about not wanting to pay for maternity benefits, he was defending that status quo.

But sure, let's trust the insurance companies to behave decently. There's no need to assume that just because they've been outrageously gouging their customers for decades and penalizing the half of the population that has the temerity to visit their plumbers on a regular basis, that they won't turn into decent corporate citizens now. See, they are more than willing to cover these women and everyone else now that the government is making it mandatory. What they won't stand for is anyone telling them how much they are allowed to charge for that or offering up a non-profit competitor. But there's no need to worry. They've assured all the important people that they will make their insurance affordable for everyone who is required by law to buy it. Really, they promise.

The truth is that they realize that their current financial model has probably run its course. The bad PR of denying coverage to babies and telling women they need to get sterilized to qualify is pretty overwhelming at this point. So they are "giving in." And in exchange for covering everyone they require the freedom to charge these mandated customers outrageous prices, partially subsidized by the taxpayers, with no competition. It's an awesome scam if they get away with it.

Get rid of the middle men. Health insurance companies (and the US Chamber of Commerce) should be the first to get the axe.

[Occam Bandage]

35. And checking the "male" box when buying auto insurance costs extra.

I call that flat-out sexual discrimination.