Do women pay more than men for health insurance? The answer is yes.

According to a New York Times article, women are paying more for health insurance than men even though the coverage is identical. Not only do women have to be concerned that their average pay is only 77% of their male counterparts, they also have to be concerned about why the difference in health insurance costs is not so small. The size and prevalence of these disparities are extremely surprise because women are paying hundreds of dollars more than men a year, as much as 49% more.

The reason state legislation allows insurance companies to set different rates for men and women is a practice known as “gender rating.” Gender rating is illegal in 10 states and restricted in 2. The other remaining states allow gender rating to occur because there is no federal guideline governing specific amounts health insurance companies can charge in the individual market. The basis for this “gender rating” is that women are more expensive to care for than men. Women are more likely to visit their doctors for their annual screenings and checkups and when they are feeling ill than men and are more likely to suffer from certain chronic diseases. Some other factors that force health insurance companies to charge women more than men is maternity care and increased incidence of chronic conditions among women. Some women even hold off on having children because their insurance policies do not cover maternity care.

“Representative Xavier Becerra, Democrat of California, said that “if men could have kids, such disparities would probably not exist,” which confirms some of the opinions held with disparage between female and male health insurance costs.

How can women get more affordable health insurance? The gap between men and women’s insurance rates may not decrease as rapidly as we’d like but there are some steps we, as women can take to make a more affordable health insurance plan:

• Increase your deductible: The higher the deductible, the lower the monthly premium. If you are a healthy woman and only go to the doctor for preventative care, having a high deductible plan can save you a lot of money.
• Invest in a Health Savings Account (HSA). An HSA combines high deductible health insurance plans with a tax-favored savings account. Money in the savings account helps pay the deductible and money left in the account earns interest and rolls over from year to year.
• Save money on prescription drugs by asking your pharmacist for the generic alternative. Generic prescription drugs are a lot cheaper and contain the same active ingredients as the original formulation.
• Don’t make unnecessary trips to the emergency room as that is charted on your Medical records, which is used when your policy is being underwritten.
• Do your regular physical checkups.
• If you smoke, this is definitely rated higher when policies are underwritten. If you say you don’t smoke and have smoke related problems, you will be ineligible. Quit smoking as soon as possible. There are free resources online that can help with cessation.
• If you are considering having a child, make sure you have insurance coverage for at least a year or two BEFORE you actually have children. By doing so you can make sure you are covered for pregnancy.
• Always, be sure to review all policies and compare plans.
• Last but not least, stay healthy. By eating healthier and exercising, you reduce the risk of developing diseases and becoming ill. By staying healthy you can cut health care costs and save money.