subject: Health Insurance And Women [print this page] Women face unique challenges when it comes to their health. As the natural result of being the child-bearing sex, they face a number of challenges in addition to those of their male counterparts. Just some of these include, but are not limited to, child bearing, breast-feeding, an increased risk of breast cancer, yearly private exams, and menopause. With all of these issues comes the necessary visits to physicians, medications, and testing, making the mere fact of being a woman naturally more expensive than being a man.
Health insurance companies hire some of the most intelligent minds in the field of medicine and health care. As a result, they develop policies to protect the company from losing any more money than they have to, seeking to avoid this as much as possible. With this in mind, they often pass these costs onto patients, regardless of their ability to pay. This includes the costs of all of the additional medical expenses for all insured women.
While health insurance policies purchased from employers generally are not legally permitted to change premiums based on factors such as sex, pre-existing conditions, and position in the company, private insurers are very much permitted to do so. Thus, if a male and female with the same level of health and fitness, age, and geographic location apply for the same policy, the premium for the female will be higher than that for the male, simply because of the likelihood that a woman will require more health care than a man.
Experts estimate that there are currently more than 17 million women in the United States without health insurance. Many are working women who lost coverage through an employer and make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to qualify for private health insurance. Women are also twice as likely as men to be insured as a dependant under a spouse's insurance through their work. As a result, many women find themselves without access to health insurance following significant life events such as a divorce, the death of a spouse, or if a spouse loses his job.
Women without health insurance are significantly more likely to suffer from serious health problems. With medical problems in general, but especially with some of the more serious health threats, early intervention is the key. Unfortunately, individuals without health insurance understandably choose to ignore any ailments or abnormalities until they can no longer deal with them anymore without medical intervention. Often times this is too late.
Fortunately, there are increasing initiatives in both the state and federal governments to ensure that those that need insurance have access. For those that are not eligible for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance, almost all states now have programs of their own specifically for those that fall into these categories. While no one knows what will happen to the nation's insurance once health care reform is in effect, there are indeed some options for women regarding health insurance in the meantime.
by: Casey Trillbar
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