Lawsuit seeks to end health insurance discrimination

A few months ago, Courtney blogged about news that health-insurance providers are charging women more for the same coverage. (No, this isn’t about pregnancy care — that costs women extra.) Now, the city of San Francisco is bringing a lawsuit against the board that regulates California insurers, to get them to stop the discriminatory practice.
This is especially relevant now, when so many employers are making lay-offs and cutting benefits, because the price difference mainly affects individuals purchasing health insurance. Says SF City Attorney Dennis Herrera,

“A lot of times, women are priced out of private health coverage because of the discriminatory practices by insurance companies,” he said. “This means women have to rely on public hospitals and clinics, and over the last few years we’ve seen an influx of women who can’t afford insurance come into San Francisco General Hospital.”
As the economic downtown worsens and the costs of healthcare rise, Herrera said, the numbers of those who can’t afford healthcare will grow.
“Our state is really behind the curve on this one,” he said. “When women can’t afford healthcare because they’re priced out of it, they’re not the only ones who pay for it. These women have to turn to the public health system, a system that is already strained as it is, and every taxpayer ends up paying for it.”

For more discussion, see the comments on Courtney’s previous post.