Tuesday, December 1, 2009

More Health Care Reform Fury




As someone who buys her own insurance, I must stare into the face of the most blatant sex discrimination I have ever encountered personally. This is not hyperbole, and it *is* saying a lot when you considering my MadMen-era work environment.Nearly all plans from private insurers charge me 100% more than a man my age (30) and will do so until I am in my 40s. Few will cover birth control, and fewer still will cover abortion. If I become pregnant, I will need to pay out of pocket for all the attendant care (+/- $10K) or have the foresight to get a "pregnancy rider" on my insurance that will levy an additional $100 onto my premium raising my rate to nearly 200% more than a man my same age. Again, this is not just one insurance company, this is par for the course on all the companies I have reviewed and engaged: BC/BS, Golden Rule, United Healthcare, State Farm, and a variety of local providers.

As my premiums go up an average of 20% a year, I can't escape the feeling that I am emptying my pocketbook to an industry that, for all intents and purposes, punishes me for my sex and for my sexuality.

The Stupak-Pitts Amendment reinforces this divide between the sexes in health care, saying effectively to men, "You don't have anything to worry about until it's time for. Have fun and keep the change!" and to women, "Watch it now! That machinery between your legs is expensive and dangerous and if you can't handle it the right way, that's on you. The right way being... don't ever have sex." This is thinking that was embarrassingly obsolete in the 20th century and certainly has no place in the 21st century.