If US has equality, why is there a gender gap in health insurance?

Gender gap discovered in health insurance: Women pay more for individual plans:http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/...

According to the article: "Insurers say they have a sound reason for charging different premiums: Women ages 19 to 55 tend to cost more than men because they typically use more health care, especially in the childbearing years.

But women still pay more than men for insurance that does not cover maternity care. In the individual market, maternity coverage may be offered as an optional benefit, or rider, for a hefty additional premium."

Whats the difference in what women vs men have to pay for health coverage? According the article above: "The disparities are evident in premiums charged by major insurers like Humana, UnitedHealth, Aetna and Anthem, a unit of WellPoint; in prices quoted by eHealth, a leading online source of health insurance; and in rate tables published by state high-risk pools, which offer coverage to people who cannot obtain private insurance.

Humana, for example, says its Portrait plan offers 鈥渋deal coverage for people who want benefits like those provided by big employers.鈥?For a Portrait plan with a $2,500 deductible, a 30-year-old woman pays 31 percent more than a man of the same age in Denver or Chicago and 32 percent more in Tallahassee, Fla."

Recent Economic affects on women: COBRA's High Cost Bites Into Jobless Safety Net, especially for women, who have to pay more for individual health insurance: http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?a...

Research Study results: Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women: http://action.nwlc.org/site/PageNavigato...

So why the gender gap in health insurance, if equality is here in the US? I keep hearing how feminism isn't needed in the US or the West, we're all supposedly equal now. What gives?

I don't have kids, never had them, and won't have them, so why do I have to pay higher health insurance rates-why don't I get the rates men do?

So does this mean, based on your answers, that we can stop hearing about gender gaps in auto insurance rates that men pay, since this gender gap in health insurance rates doesn't matter? Ok, glad I won't have to hear about that ever again.

if this is such a great country then why do we have to pay for health care at all?

somethin' aint right.....when 18% of the u.s. population is without health insurance.

Take your average male and your average female. Who goes to the doctor the most?
Like someone said above car insurance costs more for males on average. Here in Britain at least some won't insure male drivers. Isn't that more sexist than simply having a higher premium?

Whether you like it or not men and women are different. Most women who claim to want equality do not want equality they want special treatment. Woman's health care costs more so they are charged more. Just like Car insurance men pay more because they cost more.

And men pay more for Car Insurance. It averages out.

Women get pregnant and give birth, which costs a lot...

*yawn*

"Women ages 19 to 55 tend to cost more than men because they typically use more health care, especially in the childbearing years"

Great. So man up or woman up, or whatever you need to do to grow up, because this is how insurance works.

What about car insurance? Women can pay less, but I guess you aren't going to be complaining about that any time soon http://automotive-insurance.suite101.com...

Women do get pregnant, men do not. I do not understand your argument at all...all women would pay more to justify the cost of other women, like OctoMom, and others.

Men do not have the time usually to seek out medical treatment, men do not seek out frivolity, such as dental care, or breast augmentation, vaginal cosmetic surgeries...to "fix" a man for example, it is an office visit, to "fix" a woman she is hospitalized...men do not usually have hysterectomies, etc...

I know you want to turn this into gender inequality, but where is the equality if men were charged the same, when they cost less to insure as to healthcare?

Leading Causes of Death in Males
http://www.cdc.gov/men/lcod/index.htm

Leading Causes of Death in Females
http://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod.htm

Health Disparities
http://www.cdc.gov/omhd/Topic/HealthDisp...

This is not a new discovery. Everyone has pretty much answered your question; women pay more because women use the service more, just as car insurance is higher for men because men drive more, which isn't sexism either. This is a major problem most people have with feminists, most of you look a perceived "gap" or any other issue, then claim sexism without using any type of common sense or research.

Our insurance costs in the US is all about stereotypes; your gender, age, zip code, and salary are all taken into account when costs are issued.

Women pay more for health care insurance, men pay more for auto insurance, people who live within a certain distance of the ocean pay more for homeowners insurance.

This is the way its always been, and as long as the insurance industry is under "their" control, that's the way it'll always be.