High health costs hit women hardest

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters


CHICAGO (Reuters) - Most working-age women in the United States have too little health coverage, and often forgo needed care because of cost, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

They found that seven out of 10 women have no insurance, not enough insurance or are in debt because of medical bills.

"More families are making difficult choices between needed health care, making payments on mortgages or credit card debt and purchasing basic necessities," said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, a private health policy group that conducted the research.

President Barack Obama renewed his push for healthcare reform on Monday at a joint appearance with the American Medical Association, America's Health Insurance Plans and the American Hospital Association. The trade groups have pledged to reduce the annual growth of health spending by 1.5 percentage points, which they say will save $2 trillion over 10 years.

Members of Congress who will shepherd healthcare reform through the process have promised to have a bill by the end of the year.

The Commonwealth Fund team said rising health costs hit women harder because they have lower average incomes and spend more on healthcare than men, and because they use the health system more often than men.

The report was based on telephone surveys of 2,600 adults aged 19 to 64 between June and October 2007.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE54A43420090511

[Zorra]

1. Wow, 70%. And that number is probably substantially higher today,

because the economy has declined drastically since the study was made.

[lovuian]

2. our healthcare system sucks

its for the haves and have nots

Its HORRIBLE
Embarassing

and the worst part we pay an pay way too much for it

[karynnj]

3. There is a Kerry bill to change the fact that women pay more - and he has insurance co support

"At long last, health insurers have agree to end discrimination in the form of charging women higher premiums than men for identical coverage. Senator John Kerry introduced a bill on Tuesday that will prohibit health insurers from using gender as a factor in determining premiums in the individual health care insurance market. Karen Ignagni, president of health insurance trade group America's Health Insurance Plans, agreed to the change during a hearing held by the Senate Finance Committee."
http://saltlakecity.injuryboard.com/miscellaneous/health-insurers-agree-to-end-discrimination-based-on-gender.aspx?googleid=262554



Here's a Reuthers article:
http://www.monitorbankrates.com/insurance/higher-insurance-premiums-ending-for-women-4467

[wildflower]

4. Excellent, I didn't know that

Thanks!

[bemildred]

5. Health insurance companies ought not be allowed to choose who to insure

or to charge different rates to different insurees. The whole idea of insurance is pooled risk.

[Thothmes]

6. Is that why a single 18 year old male driver, pays more for automobile insurance

that I do as a 60 year old male driver with a spotless driving record.

[bemildred]

7. Seems unlikely to me. What do you think? nt

[Thothmes]

8. Higher risk, The odds are that an 18 year old male driver

will cost them more money than I do. that is the same reason women are charge more than men. they will probably cost the insurance company more money. Not really fair, but when do insurance companies have charters that require fairness.

[bemildred]

9. So you think 18 year old males should pay more for health care?

But seriously, I don't give a shit if it costs the insurers more money for some particular subset. Driving is a privilege. Health care is not. Health care is a right. People DO get sick through no fault of their own, way more so than in driving. And the profits of insurance companies are not the point anyway, they exist to serve US, not the other way around. If they want to go out of business because the pay is not high enough, we can always set up a tax-funded single payer system run by the government.

[Thothmes]

10. Which portion of the bill of rights mentions health care?

I have been unable to find that "right" in our Constitution. What planet are currently located on. An insurance company exists to benefit the stock holders of that company. They do not exist to "serve" the US. OBTW, bet 18 year old males take much greater risks that may harm their health than
I do at 60 years old. That would be calculated into the rate they pay.

[bemildred]

11. Which portion of the Bill of Rights mentions corporate profits?

When did health insurance companies get a right to profit at the expense of sick people?
:puke:

[Thothmes]

12. Do they have a right to make a profit?

Show me where they have a "right" to a profit. Their business is not guaranteed.

[bemildred]

13. No, they are there to serve us.

If they do a crappy job WE have a right to replace them with something that works. Like a tax-funded single-payer public health care system, just like what the rest of the developed world has.

[Thothmes]

18. I agree

[riderinthestorm]

15. Health care needs to be perceived of as a basic human right.

That's all. Women, men, old, young, sick, healthy... everyone needs to be able to get healed if needs be.

Insurance companies need to be cut out of that equation. We need to dramatically alter how we perceive human existence in the US. This isn't about "for profit" or "competition" or "American free markets" or "socialism". This is about basic human rights.

Women outlive men. It's a fact of life. There's going to be more costs associated with that. We need to acknowledge that FACT and simply move on. Move on away from insurance company analysis and onto human rights analasys.

[Thor_MN]

19. Could you point out the men that get pregnant?

Beyond the fact that women are more likely to use health care, therefore incurring higher costs, there is the undeniable fact of life that women get pregnant. Women are more likely to make use of whatever health care benefits they have. Some part of the lower longevity of men can probably be attributed to not men seeking out and using health care benefits they have when they really should be. So, in terms of financial risk, women are more likely to incur more costs to an insurance company in the long run. Plain simple fact.

Someone else aleady pointed out that the Bill of Rights does not mention Health Care. It would be nice if there was single payer Health Care in the the US. But that does nothing to change the fact that women consume more health care relative to men, some out choice (phrase it how you will, the women's choice to use or the men's choice not to, it's the same thing to the insurance company), some as a fact of biology. So until Single Payer rolls around is it correct for men to subsidize annual pelvic exams or mammography? Unless advocating that all insurance, including auto liability and life, be blind to sex and age, saying that higher health premiums for women is unfair, while remaining silent where premiums favor women, is hypocritical.

[Digit]

14. I once asked my health insurer why women paid more....

His reply was that females had their "plumbing" on the inside.

That was eons ago, and I no longer have health insurance since I am unemployed and can't afford it.
As a matter of fact, I believe that is why I am having more difficulty finding a job now that I am in my 50's. Nobody wants to subsidize my health insurance or at least their portion.

I even had a prospective employer ask me at an interview how my health was! That same employer who happened to be in the insurance field told me they have "ways of denying insurance to people who walk through the door"...wink, wink. I knew EXACTLY what was implied.

Disgusting, really.

[newinnm]

17. In every state

Employers cannot discriminate on which employee they provide insurance for. It is true that in small groups, health insurance for one employee can be higher for another employee but it has to be offered. In my state, New Mexico, the employer has to pay at least 50% of the employees health care premium.


nnnm

[newinnm]

16. Fewer Men are Insured?

No I dont have any data...Im just throwing out a hypothetical. Is it possible that fewer men carry insurance than women and as the article said, they use health care more than men. If you really want to bring down costs, then everyone has to be in the pool. If you only have the people who are most like to use healthcare in a health care funding pool then of course the costs are going to be higher per person. Plus, if everyone was in the pool and used precentative medicine then I suspect that we would catch more life threatening illness's befor thay be come life threatening.

nnnm