Gender Discrimination In Health Insurance Premiums Observed

October 30, 2008 5:37 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - A comparison of health insurance premiums between genders showed that females are charged higher fees compared to males. The findings led women's advocacy groups to question the higher rates, while Congress is starting to probe into the reasons behind the difference.

The disparities were discovered in premiums of major health insurers such as Humana, UnitedHealth, Aetna, Anthem and eHealth.

Under Humana's Portrait plan, a 30-year old woman has a 31 percent higher premium than a man of the same age in Denver and Colorado and 32 percent more in Talahassee. Anthem's Blue Access Economy plan charges a 30-year old woman $92.87 monthly premium and a man of the same age only $62.30 or a 49 percent difference.

Insurers explained women between the ages 19 to 55 usually use more their health care policies than men, especially during their pregnancies. Even for policies that do not cover maternity, females still are charged higher premiums.

Gender, particularly for high-risk individuals, is a factor used by majority of state insurance pools for determining premium rates. Women between 25 to 29 years old who purchase coverage from the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool pay 39 percent more than men. Those who buy policies from the Nebraska state insurance pool will discover a 32 percent difference for a 35-year old woman compared to a man of the same age.

Male and female attitudes toward seeking medical help is also a factor. According to Elizabeth Leif, a health insurance actuary in Denver, women below 55 tend to be high users of health care, while men often avoid going to the doctor at all costs.

Job-based health policies, though, could not charge higher premiums for female workers than males for the same benefits because of the prohibition by civil rights law of sex discrimination. Of the 85 percent of Americans who have health insurance policies, 60 percent acquired it as part of their employment.

Some states such as Maine, Montana and New York ban sex-based premiums in the individual insurance market.