National Women's Law Center

For Immediate Release: October 20, 2009

BEING A WOMAN IS NOT A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION

NWLC to Challenge Women to Make Their Voices Heard Before Congress Decides the Fate of Health Care Reform;
NWLC Releases New Data on Inequities Women Face in Insurance Market

Washington, DC – October 20, 2009 – Today, the National Women’s Law Center announced a new public awareness campaign called “Being a Woman is Not a Pre-Existing Condition.” The goal of the national campaign, announced at a press conference at Mott House, is to educate women about the disparities they face in health care coverage and rally them to contact their Members of Congress to demand health reform legislation that works for women.

The Center also released a new report, Still Nowhere to Turn: Insurance Companies Treat Women Like a Pre-Existing Condition, which provides sobering new data about the inequities that women face in health insurance. Among the new findings in the report, which examined the best-selling plans in every state capital:

The extent of gender rating, in which insurance companies charge women more than men for the same coverage, has remained abysmal since the Center issued its landmark Nowhere to Turn report in 2008; 95% of the best-selling plans in the individual insurance market practice gender rating in 2009 compared to 93% in 2008.
Gender rating of premiums also occurs in the group market; insurance companies in most states are allowed to charge a business more for coverage of its female employees. Although some states have protections against this discriminatory practice, these protections are typically limited to small groups – such as businesses with 50 employees or less. Moderate-sized and larger businesses are subject to gender rating in all states except Montana.
NWLC found even more egregious examples of gender rating among 25-year-olds in 2009, using the same random sampling methods as in 2008. At this age, some women are charged up to 84% more than men for individual health plans that exclude maternity coverage.
To further examine the arbitrary nature of the current individual market system, NWLC looked at premiums charged 40-year-old female non-smokers versus 40-year-old male smokers. In most states, it often costs more to be a woman than to be a male smoker; more than 60% of best-selling plans charged 40-year-old female non-smokers more than 40-year-old male smokers.

“Every day, our broken health care system fails millions of women,” said Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of NWLC. “Enough is enough. In this final push toward health care reform legislation, women and men need to join ranks and tell Congress that the time is now for health care reform that works for women and their families.”

The Center’s campaign – “Being A Woman Is Not A Pre-Existing Condition” – will rise above the confusing messages and heated language currently heard in the health care reform debate to address the issues that matter most to women and their families. The national campaign, which includes a compelling video, online advertising, a new web site, and events to activate women and men across the country, provides the information and tools they need to contact their Congressional representatives and demand health care that is comprehensive, fair and affordable.

WOMEN STILL FACE SEVERE INEQUALITIES IN HEALTH CARE COVERAGE:

Women typically make less money than men, but pay more for coverage.
Women may be denied coverage because of ‘pre-existing conditions,’ such as previously giving birth via C-Section or being a survivor of domestic violence.
Women are more likely than men to report cost-related problems with getting access to health care, and struggle with medical bills or debt.
It is very difficult — and often impossible – for women to find coverage for maternity care when purchasing their own health insurance plan directly from insurance companies.

Those who want to join the campaign can visit www.AWomanIsNotaPreExistingCondition.com to learn about the issues and upcoming events, share the facts with their own networks via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and post about the issue on their blogs and websites. They also can send a message to their elected officials in Congress to tell them that health care reform must meet the needs of women and their families.

Campaign supporters can receive a limited-edition t-shirt through the website that will make their public statement that “Being A Woman is Not A Pre-Existing Condition”

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.AWomanIsNotaPreExistingCondition.com

ABOUT THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S LAW CENTER:

The National Women's Law Center is a non-profit organization that has been working since 1972 to advance and protect women's legal rights. The Center focuses on major policy areas of importance to women and their families including economic security, education, employment and health, with special attention given to the concerns of low-income women. For more information on the Center, visit: www.nwlc.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Deborah Darrell and Vicki Crafton, LaForce + Stevens
(212) 242-9353; Darrell cell: 646-246-7582; Crafton cell: 609-240-2416
DDarrell@LaForce-Stevens.com; VCrafton@Laforce+Stevens.com

Adrienne Ammerman or Karen Schneider
National Women’s Law Center
(202) 588-5180
AAmmerman@nwlc.org; KSchneider@nwlc.org