Friday, November 20, 2009

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Gender/age discrimination

I have been reading a lot about the blatant discrimination against women by Health Insurance providers. Pregnancy, C-Sections, even domestic abuse and rape have been called "pre-existing" conditions. I have Osteo Porosis, a condition common in small boned women my age. I pay full price for the medications that treat that condition because Insurance will not pay for it. When my income dropped due to a divorce, I couldn't afford to pay for it. After a few months, I broke my hip. It could have been prevented had I been able to take the once a month medication that builds bones weakened by Osteo penia and Osteo Porosis.
But health insurance is not the only insurance that discriminates. When my divorce was final, my auto insurance went up. Now I should tell you, I have had a pristine driving record for 20 years, and have never had an accident. In fact, in 35 years of driving I have only had one moving violation.
Not too long ago I learned that I pay nearly double the auto insurance premiums as my ex husband. We use the same insurance company and have the amount of coverage. This alone isn't so bad, but the man has had a wreck and 3 tickets in the last year alone.
The reason my insurance is so much higher? Divorced, menopausal woman are considered as high a risk as TEEN AGERS. Me pristine driving record should speak for itself. I've been divorced for over a year, drive several times a week and am a safe, responsible driver. Talk about blatant age and gender discrimination!