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"Cadillac" Plans Tax As a Gender Issue

by: measurestaken

Sun Jan 10, 2010 at 11:27:10 AM EST


(Link and blockquote added by me. - promoted by Dean Barker)

In her column this morning, Shira S. at the Concord Monitor asks a thought-provoking question: Is the excise tax for health care plans - the so-called "Cadillac" plans tax - unfair to women? It would seem the answer is yes.

"(W)omen cost much more to insure than men because of reproductive health issues and a higher rate of certain chronic diseases. Women in split families are more likely to have custody of children and require higher-value family plans.

'For women it's a double whammy,' said Rhonda Wesolowski, president of NEA New Hampshire.

A former teacher and single mother, Wesolowski said the excise tax would unfairly penalize female workers who give up wages to get better health benefits. 'Over the years, we often didn't take raises to keep our health insurance,' she said."


Carol Shea-Porter, to no one's surprise, gets it. And I have to say that at times like this, I'm pretty happy that we have Jeanne Shaheen in the Senate because I'm sure she gets it, too.  
measurestaken :: "Cadillac" Plans Tax As a Gender Issue
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and let's also not forget (0.00 / 0)
than women require more expensive cancer screening procedures than men.  Yearly pap smears and mammograms are far more expensive than "turn your head and cough" and "bend over and try to relax".......

Link to column (0.00 / 0)
It's here.

It isn't really that "women cost more to insure." No insurance plan charges different rates for different genders.

It's that women are more likely to be in unions (largely meaning: be in public sector jobs) and more likely to enroll in family plans.


why don't women cost more to insure than men? (0.00 / 0)
The article claims they do:

And women cost much more to insure than men because of reproductive health issues and a higher rate of certain chronic diseases.

Or is it that they do cost more, but insurance companies charge men more so that they can charge women less, which has a net effect of charging both genders the same?


[ Parent ]
If you eliminate the notion of "family" (0.00 / 0)
women cost more to insure, because birthin' babies is expensive.

My point was: taxing Cadillac plans isn't tied that directly to gender. Cadillac or not, a policy will cover both genders for the same premium.


[ Parent ]
Let me try again - (0.00 / 0)
When I said that "It isn't that 'women cost more to insure'" I didn't mean "They don't. "

I meant, whether or not they do, doesn't have much to do with the "Cadillac Plan" tax.

(And both Shoenberg's article and I missed a big reason women have higher health care costs: they live longer. Car maintenance costs are higher for a car that lasts 20 years, than one that collapses in five.)


[ Parent ]

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