NEW: Coalition Calls for an End to Gender Discrimination in Health Insurance
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A wide range of organizations will voice their support to eliminate gender rating as an industry standard in the state’s individual health care plans at today’s House Corporation Committee hearing at the rise.
Representative Donna Walsh (D-36) and Senator Susan Sosnowski (D-37) sponsored H7151 and S2206 so that Rhode Island can join the majority of other New England states to end the practice of basing health insurance premiums on gender.
Other neighboring states that currently ban gender rating in the insurance marketplace are Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York and New Jersey. “Women who take out individual health insurance policies are disproportionately impacted by gender rating,” Carolyn Mark, President of the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Organization of Women said. “Those most affected by these policies include small business owners, self-employed women, women who wish to pay out of pocket for coverage but who are not on government health programs and whose employers won’t cover them.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“Rhode Island should get ahead of the 2014 health care reform requirements and end this flagrant and unacceptable gender discrimination now.” Added Kate Brock, Ocean State Action Executive Director.
Organizational representatives from the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union (RI ACLU), Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE), Rhode Island National Organization for Women (RI NOW), National Association of Social Workers – Rhode Island (NASW – RI), and Ocean State Action (OSA) will urge the full legislature to pass this legislation and continue to move Rhode Island ahead of the national curve on health care reform & access for all.
