.jpg)
Young women are especially at
risk of having no health insurance
Twenty million American woman and girls went without health insurance in 2007. Fourteen million had to rely on coverage through the individual market which imposes a heavy penalty for being a woman during child bearing years.
Even those women relying on employer sponsored health insurance will find their premiums dramatically higher then males of similar age and geography. Most states still permit sex based rates for group plans.
In Connecticut, for instance, a small business plan with a major carrier will cost the employer the following rates for a single employee:
Male Age 25 – 29 $119.19 per month
Female Age 25- 29 $310.60 per month
The justification of course is that a woman may become pregnant or have other gynecological issues which could result in increased risk for the insurance company having to pay claims. Single males in the same age bracket are traditionally less likely to require medical attention.
But at least women who have access to employer sponsored group plans can get coverage. They will pay more. Most employers will pay something toward the single employee premium because it is often mandated by the state. In this case an employer might pay 50% of the monthly premium so a single male will have to contribute $59.59 a month toward his health insurance premium while a single female the same age would have to pay $155.30.
Women who must rely on the individual market are in a much worse position. First, most individual coverage will not cover maternity at all. If there is a maternity rider, it usually will only pay a portion of the cost of a normal birth and delivery. The amount the carrier will pay goes up the longer the policy is in place but it virtually never comes close to the actual cost of a birth and delivery.
Curiously, most states do mandate that while carriers can refuse to cover maternity, they must cover any problems with a pregnancy in the same way any hospitalization would be covered.
Even when discussing preventive services only 20 states currently require private insurance companies to cover annual mammograms for women over age 40.
Individual insurance is difficult to get for everyone based on the underwriting criteria. But women generally will pay a higher cost, if they can get it. Approximately 8 million women under age 65 do not have employer sponsored health insurance. More than half of this group remains uninsured and only one-fifth are able to qualify for individual insurance,even if they can afford it.
Comments