May 6th, 2009 – Last year the Health insurance lobby group, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), offered to provide health insurance at the same premium to people regardless of pre-existing conditions, as part of their support of the Health Reform movement in America. Guarantee issue health insurance for all would be part of a Universal Health Care package where all Americans would be covered by some form of Private or Public health insurance coverage.
This week Karen Ignagni, President of AHIP, went further by stating that “We don’t beleive that gender should be subject to rating.”
This would reverse the current practice for health insurance carriers to charge more younger women than for younger men, due to differing claims rates. As people age and get into their 50’s the scale currently tips back in favor of women as men then have higher claims rates.
Health insurance companies are doing everything they can to prevent a government insurance plan that many people are concerned is a not too subtle back door to creating a single payer government run system that is overtly favored by some of the more liberal Democrats even though a minority of Americans favor such a system.
While the health reform movement continues to move forward the budget process appears to be slowing progress as the government struggles to find funding for health care reform.
