Quote

"To get rich, never risk your health. For it is the truth that health is the wealth of wealth."

-Richard Baker, American Congressman

Friday, April 13, 2007

Are High Deductible Health Plans Discriminatory?

I have held off for a bit on posting any commentary about the recent study by Harvard Medical School researcher Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, who came to this conclusion -

"High-deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies."

I'm not particularly keen on spreading this message (also Woolhandler)-

"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."

I'd like you to come to your own conclusion on this one, but the fact is that women require more routine medical care than men. This comes down to your philosophy on insurance. Does health insurance fall into its own category, or is it like any other type of insurance, where higher risk leads to higher premiums? The upcoming presidential election will shine a spotlight, and we will soon hear some ideas.

Here are two places you can read about the study -

insurancenewsnet.com


msnbc.com

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