On October 30, The New York Times ran an article entitled “Women Buying Health Policies Pay a Premium,” which highlighted the widespread disparity between insurance premiums for men and women. The article stated that costs for women ages 19 to 55 can be hundreds of dollars higher than costs for men of the same age because women typically “use more health care, especially in childbearing years.”
National Institute Vice President for National Programs Angela Hooton responded with a letter to the editor today, writing,
To the Editor:
I wish we were more surprised by your article pointing out that women pay higher health insurance premiums — in some cases nearly 50 percent higher — than men (“Women Buying Health Policies Pay a Penalty,” news article, Oct. 30).
Unfortunately, unequal treatment in the area of insurance policies is nothing new — before state contraceptive equity laws were passed, insurance companies routinely failed to cover prescription birth control. This time, however, insurance companies are actually penalizing women for deciding to have children.
We deplore this discriminatory practice and wonder why all of the so-called pro-life, pro-family advocates and legislators aren’t crying out for change. It’s time to see them put their values into action and support legislation similar to New York’s law that outlaws the insurance equity gap; we would think that supporting women and families who decide to become parents is something we could all agree on.
Angela Hooton
V.P. for National Programs
National Institute for Reproductive Health
New York, Oct. 30, 2008
By Tara Sweeney