NATIONAL POLITICS & POLICY | Health Insurers Offer To End Practice of Charging Women Higher Premiums for Individual Policies

[May 6, 2009] Health insurers would be willing to end the practice of charging women higher premiums than men for individual insurance policies if the government agrees not to establish a public insurance plan, America's Health Insurance Plans President Karen Ignagni said Tuesday, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 5/6). Ignagni made the proposal at a Senate Finance Committee hearing that focused on ways to cover uninsured U.S. residents as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's health care system. President Obama and congressional Democrats support the creation of a government-run insurance program that would compete with private insurance plans.

This is concerning for several reasons. First I was not aware of the practice of charging women more - and this can be from 25% to 50% more.

But I find this a somewhat cynical attempt to peel off constituencies supporting the public option by offering to make concessions conditional on dropping the public option. Other offers so far include stopping the practice of refusing policies to the sick. (They haven't actually offered to pay for needed treatment.)

Since this is an e-mail article, I cannot link to it, so I am copying it in full. You can get information about subscribing by e-mailing info@nationalpartnership.org Here is the rest of the article: