Popular Health plans punish women?

[shesulsa]

ATLANTA - High-deductible health insurance plans favored by many employers often wind up being an unfair burden to women, a new study says, largely because women need many routine medical exams that quickly add up.

*SNIP*

“High-deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies,” said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, the study’s lead author.“When an employer switches all his employees into a consumer-driven health plan, it’s the same as giving all the women a $1,000 pay cut, on average, because women on average have $1,000 more in health costs than men,” she said.


Women’s costs are higher because women need mammograms, cervical cancer vaccine, Pap tests, birth control and pregnancy-related services that men do not, said Woolhandler, who also is a co-founder of a physicians’ group that advocates for a single-payer national health insurance system.

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[bushidomartialarts]

Wow. Interesting take on it.

Not to be the token sexist, but dont such programs also punish people with glasses, folks with bad teeth and people with various inborn disabilities?

It also punishes martial artists and parents, although both of those are choices and not really applicable.

Not that its not an important point, but I do grow weary of how often sexism and racism get slapped on issues that are really much wider than that.

 

[Empty Hands]

No surprise. The reimbursement/savings plans punish everyone who isn't quite healthy, as well as anyone that has an unexpected catastrophic illness.

 

[Touch Of Death]

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What would you suggest to remedy this problem, Shesusla?
sean

 

[Phoenix44]

Health plans also punish people who have mental health problems as opposed to physical health problems.

I think there should be universal Medicare--everyone should have access to basic health care.

 

[Carol]

Could someone please advise me as to the specifics of these "high deductible plans" are and how they compare to the "consumer-driven plans" in the story ?

The article makes no mention of what they are other than saying they are "popular with employers"

 

[arnisador]

I read this article...I had had a vague idea of this fact beforehand but had never really thought about it. It seems to me that this must be taken into account by employers...it's only fair.