Governor signs gender-equity bill for insurers

Tuesday, March 30, 2010
By PATRICK MALONE
http://chieftain.com/news/local/article_d10d9f80-3bb7-11df-860e-001cc4c002e0.html

DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter on Monday signed a bill that calls for gender equity in insurance premiums.

Sponsored by Sens. Gale Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, and Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, HB1008 ends gender rating in Colorado's individual insurance market.

More than 130,000 Colorado women between the ages of 19 and 64 had individual insurance in 2006 and 2007. Among insurance plans offered in the state, 90 percent used gender rating in the individual insurance market, and premiums tend to be higher for women.

The new law brings the same prohibition to gender rating in the individual market that already exists in the small-group market.

"Gender should not be considered a pre-existing condition," Schwartz said. "Ensuring that all Coloradans have equal access to health care is vital to the well-being of our state. Affordable health care for women helps care for Colorado's children and families."

"Today's legislation eliminates the type of gender discrimination practiced by insurance companies in setting rates for women — rates which can be up to 59 percent higher than rates for men," Ritter said. "This bill ensures access to care and coverage for all at an equitable price and eliminates the financial burden that gender rating puts on women."

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