author alice

A 40 year old man smokes. A woman of the same age does not light. In West Virginia and most states, insurance companies that sell directly to consumers, may release the woman more for health insurance.

In fact the comments, the National Women’s Law Center found that 70 percent of best-selling West Virginia Health Plans sold at the cost of individual insurance for women over 40 who do not smoke do not men.

“There is something wrong with the picture,” said Delegate Barbara Fleischhauer, D-Monongalia.

four decades old man stopped insurance companies to race as a factor in setting rates. But they can still use state law to determine the sex of the insurance.

Fleischhauer is on a bill that the insurance companies to use sex as a factor in determining rates could work ban. The term begins January 13th Parliament.

The NWLC has reports on women encounter difficulties in the study of health insurance obtain the individual market.

In the individual market, people buy insurance directly from insurance companies, instead of always there by their employers.

get their health insurance, the path NWLC. Often they have lost their jobs or are self-employed, “said Lisa Codispoti NWLC lawyer.

“While the majority of people get health insurance through their employers, it is not yet an option for many people in this country,” she said. ” br />
Like most other states, West Virginia law also allows insurance companies, coverage of the group on the rate of its kind. Even if a woman is not made more for their premiums for a male colleague in the bill, insurers may still consider the gender composition of the workforce in the determination of rates for groups.
< br /> say that insurance companies can charge more for employers in female-dominated fields such as nursing and home care, “said Codispoti.

“We have even heard that some small school districts could be affected by this,” she said.

The area of Insurance said that it costs more to ensure women because they use more health care. Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield president Fred Earley said that all factors are now permitted under the insurance amount “actuarially sound “. In addition to gender, other factors such as age, geography and medical conditions, he saidWhat on an actuarial basis has been confirmed is done, “he said. “A lot of maternity leave, is driven, there is no doubt.”

As soon as people reach their 50th birthday, it usually costs more for men, said it.

The NWLC found in West Virginia, health insurance for single young people from 55 years, costs 16.1 percent lower for women than for men in the same age.

Codispoti said that the costs of maternity can not explain all differences in pricing. NWLC studied also find maternity coverage in the individual market that nearly 60 percent of the policies they do not study.

This summer, with NWLC analyst Brigette Courtot conclusions Central West Virginia legislature. had

The researchers reviewed the plans for the health most sold in Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg and Wheeling. They found:
women aged # 25 ranged from 7 to 44 percent more responsible than men 25 years for the same series.
# 40 women were aged between 13 and 34 percent more than men.
charging # 55 were female Age 1-16 percent charged less than men.

five states have banned insurance companies individual market with sex as a factor in setting rates: California, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire and North Dakota .

Six have banned the practice of insurance: New York, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington.

Earley said it was “useless” to West Virginia to pass legislation next year, because state legislators have already made in the current debate in care.

America’s Health Insurance Plans, 1300 represents insurance companies in favor of the provisions of national law reform to end the kind of evaluation.

The law of the United States would be the health of the rating between the sexes for individual and group insurance plans prohibit. The Senate version of gender-specific assessment for each plan to ban and groups up to 100

But these reforms would not be in effect for several years, “said Codispoti.

“We are certainly encouraging, it is said:” Do not wait, “she said. “Women are bad now. It’s discrimination, period, and women should not have to wait to end discrimination. “