Keywords: discrimination, gender gap, healthcare

Women buying individual health-insurance policies pay much more than men of the same age for identical coverage, according to The New York Times. The disparity exists even for women of childbearing years who buy insurance that does not cover maternity care. In some areas of the country, a woman can pay as much as 49 percent more for individual health insurance than a man, costing her hundreds of extra dollars a year. Women-advocacy groups have raised concerns about the issue at a time when more people are worried about losing their jobs and being forced to shop for individual health insurance.

Insurers say the price difference is because women are more likely to use more healthcare services, such as regular checkups, prescription medicines and services to control chronic illnesses. The article says that state insurance pools for high-risk people also factor in sex when determining rates.

"The wide variation in premiums could not possibly be justified by actuarial principles," said Marcia D. Greenberger, co-president of the advocacy group National Women's Law Center, which has examined hundreds of individual policies. "We should not tolerate women having to pay more for health insurance, just as we do not tolerate the practice of using race as a factor in setting rates."

Click here to read the full story in The New York Times.

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