Health Insurance
Thirty million women in America are set to see gains from the health reform law over the coming 10 years, says a new report by the New York-based private foundation, The Commonwealth Fund.
The report says that the new law will stabilize rising health costs for many women, even seeing a drop in some cases through the subsidizing of health insurance for approximately 15 million women currently without health insurance of any kind.
It will also strengthen and consolidate the existing health insurance cover for around 14.5 million women. This is a group who are deemed to be underinsured and only partially covered for health risks, usually having problems if any high cost health issues arise.
It is of course true that people of each sex faces more or less the same health risks. The authors of the report say:
“Although the risk of not being insured is the same for both sexes, women’s health care needs leave them more vulnerable to high health care costs and difficulties associated with loss of health insurance.”
While noting that pregnancy cover is not included in the majority of health insurance policies, they go on to say:
“Insurers tend to see women, especially those of reproductive age, as a higher risk than men. This results in higher charges for women than men of the same age, and more difficulties in getting good cover in the insurance market.”
The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) provides provisional cover to adults who have pre-existing conditions and are not insured over the time period of 2010 to 2013.
Enrollment in PCIPs was initiated by 17 states in mid-July with another 12 to follow in August. The remaining states are subject to a federal government operation of a PCIP.
“Historically, women have been more vulnerable to high health care costs and have had greater difficulty paying medical bills because of their lower incomes,” said Karen Davis, President of The Commonwealth Fund.
“This report provides good news to all women, who will be more likely to get the care they need, with reduced risk of incurring the unaffordable medical bills that have affected so many Americans.”
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