Slog - Comments on Apropos of My Morning News Two Days Ago http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago One of the stories I mentioned was about how Blue Shield is raising premiums for female members--even though the insurer doesn't cover pregnancy and maternity care. Perhaps this is partly because women are more likely to seek preventive care, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. But this should make them better insurance risks. After all, they're proactively working to stay healthy. And isn't that exactly what insurers encourage people to do? "It doesn't make any sense," said Alice Wolfson of United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based advocacy group. "The insurers aren't assessing risk. They're assessing how much healthcare is used, even... Copyright 2008 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:19:25 -0800 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:34:32 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Bellevue Ave This is why actuarial sciences is evil!

]]> Bellevue Ave http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060612 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060612 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:33:54 -0800 Comment by elenchos Hey. Isn't being female genetic? GINA banned genetic discrimination by insurance companies. Just saying.

]]> elenchos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060636 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060636 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:40:33 -0800 Comment by giantladysquirrels THANK YOU for mentioning my least favorite part of health insurance. It really freaks me out that I can only get 3 months of pills at a time, and can't reorder until I'm on my last pack. Aren't you supposed to have a 3-month supply of meds on hand at all times in case of emergency? What if Armageddon happens right when I start the last pack? Am I supposed to give up sex just because it's the apocalypse?

]]> giantladysquirrels http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060666 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060666 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:48:33 -0800 Comment by Cook Hey, can't you get birth control filled for three months at a time? i'd try to see a doctor, usually they can prescribe it to you that way. my sister gets four packs every three months and that way she only has to pay the copay once, and so it costs a fourth of what it would cost normally. but yeah, insurance pretty much blows.

]]> Cook http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060690 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060690 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:00:45 -0800 Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Erica C. Barnett Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism. Sexism.

]]> Jubilation T. Cornball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060697 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060697 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:02:01 -0800 Comment by brandon one service not mentioned in the LA times article is cervical cancer screening, which begins (ideally, at least) once a woman becomes sexually active, and continues annually throughout the rest of her adult life. this costs healthcare providers a lot of money and (obviously) only pertains to women. there are no corollaries for men that i am aware of.

anyway, this seems like a logical reason for the discrepancy in premiums -- albeit a lame one, since it's preventative care. just throwin' it out there.

]]> brandon http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060718 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060718 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:11:49 -0800 Comment by ECB Cook @ 4: No, my insurance company won't let me. They actually even make me wait until the very end of the month to get the next month's supply.

]]> ECB http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060743 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060743 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:27:21 -0800 Comment by flamingbanjo Agreed. Healthcare for profit produces such results as a matter of course.

It does seem like they're rewarding men for their tendency to avoid visits to the doctor unless they're bleeding profusely or missing a limb. I guess if a guy dies of a heart attack at home because he didn't think his chest pain was serious it's a cost savings for the provider.

]]> flamingbanjo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060814 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060814 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:21:26 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Good thing all your friends and parents voted GOP in 2000 and 2004 - now you can enjoy the lack of socialized national health care plans!

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060892 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060892 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:20:11 -0800 Comment by Dougsf #3 - if Armageddon strikes, 3 months is the "cooling off" period, then they want use to populate! it's part of the plan.

I've had girlfriends deal with this 3 month pill thing, and ECB is correct, sounds like a real pain in the ass.

]]> Dougsf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060938 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060938 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:55:32 -0800 Comment by devils advocate ECB- save yourself the $20 a month and get an IUD. Your body will thank you for not washing it with artificial hormones. And once it's in, you can forget about it for four or five years.

]]> devils advocate http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060959 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1060959 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:19:07 -0800 Comment by Judah I'm sorry, but how is 12 times $20 working out to $260?

In addition to all their other superpowers, to women get a whole extra month?

]]> Judah http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061036 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061036 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:18:50 -0800 Comment by ECB Judah: um... 365 days divided into 28-day cycles (hope I don't have to explain that to you) is 13
cycles, hence $260. Really not that confusing.

]]> ECB http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061064 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061064 The Ladies Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:15:24 -0800 Comment by bridget @ 12 & 13

this reminds me of the time i had to explain to my high school boyfriend that we girls didn't just bleed for like "2 hours" at the end of each month, but that we actually bled all day long for 5-7 days each month. and this was BEFORE abstinence only sex-ed. i really have no hope for all the little judahs running around. that generation is going to be so fucked (without condoms!) because of all the backwards info they received.

]]> bridget http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061087 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061087 The Ladies Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:58:57 -0800 Comment by Mary F ECB: You should have let Judah believe we have superpowers, like the ability bring in the tides and commune with the moon phases.

]]> Mary F http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061173 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061173 The Ladies Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:16:42 -0800 Comment by Wurm hey doesn't it suck when you have to pay more just because of what is between your legs?. Men have been putting up with this for a while now, and now its your turn, deal with it.

But its not right you say?, the whole men-pay-more-for-car-insurance is becoming a thing of the past because more recent studies up here in the frozen north are showing that its all BS, and in fact women are more likely to cause accidents, something most men would have been able to tell you all along. Did women ever care?, nope, they just laughed and said oh well, you pay more. Now the shoe's on the other foot, enjoy!

]]> Wurm http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061192 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061192 The Ladies Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:54:06 -0800 Comment by Uplift $260 a year? ECB, get a Mirena. It's a one-time cost of about $260, but will last much longer (about 5 years if memory serves), delivers a much lower systemic dose of hormones, and is more effective overall because you can't forget it.

]]> Uplift http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061333 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/apropos_of_my_morning_news_two_days_ago#c1061333 The Ladies Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:34:32 -0800