media mention

Obamacare Hasn’t Just Made People Healthier, but More Financially Secure

The ACA was also an acknowledgement of the gender disparities built into the health system that preceded it. Prior to the passage of the ACA, it was legal and commonplace for insurers to charge women higher premiums than men for the exact same health coverage. In a 2012 study by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), nearly a third of the plans examined charged 25- and 40-year-old women at least 30 percent more than men for the same coverage. This “gender rating”—which the ACA made illegal—is estimated to have cost women approximately $1 billion a year. This inequity is particularly troubling when considering women on average are paid and save less, and therefore have less disposable income to spend on health coverage and care.