Women need more health care than men because of the combined demands of pregnancy and family planning. The typical American woman who wants to have two children will spend about five years being pregnant, recovering from pregnancy or trying to get pregnant, and about 30 years trying to avoid unintended pregnancies. – New York Times
Think about that for a second. Now, first of all I have no idea where the NYTimes got their pregnancy statistics from but that one paragraph is pretty amazing if it’s indeed true. Second of all, because of the above statements health insurance is “typically” more expensive for young women than men. Apparently this trend evens out near the ages of 40 and 50, according to AISHealth.com.
A recent study by the National Women’s Law Center claims that women are charged 25-year-old women from 6% to 45% more than 25-year-old men, and charged 40-year-old women from 4% to 48% more than 40-year-old men for identical plans. To top it off, “gender rating” is only illegal in 10 U.S. states.
So, the question appears to be if health care reform will include a reform for gender rating as well. It appears not so much. While bills have been introduced by Sen. Kerry, and others, to reform gender rating at the individual, small market level, and while the Senate Finance Committee has considered similar options, nothing has been discussed regarding anything on a national level.
Just this last Friday, First Lady Michelle Obama took on the case of healthcare for women as she spoke to a crowd of female advocacy leaders at the White House.
“Health insurance reform and what it means for our families is very much a women’s issue. If we want to ensure women have opportunities that they deserve, if we want women to be able to care for their families and pursue things they could never imagine, then we have to reform the system,” the First Lady said.
Amazingly, the majority of individual insurance policies exclude coverage for child-bearing, and many exclude pap smears and mammograms, major reasons women need health-care coverage. More than 10 states permit insurance companies to exclude coverage for FDA-approved contraceptives. And at least nine states allow insurance companies to deny applications from victims of domestic violence. Though estimates vary, women are the vast majority of victims of convicted domestic violence offenders.(Kansas City Star)
Then, on the flip side, women do account for 40% to 50% more in medical costs than men, according to a Milliman, Inc report. The insurance companies would have you think that gender rating is an essential part of insurance calculations, much like age. According to “them,” when the rates do not get adjusted based on “risk factors” then the entire pool of health insurance costs go up and everyone suffers.
While the above may be true, it is essential that women have health insurance based on what we know and the facts above, and yet it is harder for women to get affordable health insurance based on the facts above. It’s really a catch-22, but does it have to be?
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