1.) Everyone, regardless of sex or race, who doesn’t die young, is going to get older. Therefore, while at any given time there’d be a cost disparity between you and your younger and older coworkers, you’re all actually hoping to age into the more costly category (even if not any time soon). Also, once they turn 65, your older coworkers can get Medicare (even if they keep working), and then they have a cost advantage over you. One might also argue (and it’s not a bad argument!) that it’s unfair of the government to cover everyone once they turn 65, but not people who are younger unless they meet certain income/disability requirements.

2.) Overall, during their earning life, people earn more as they get older. The economy may be screwing that up, but statistics still show that’s true over all. On the other hand, women earn 70% of what men do. So in one case, you’re charging more to the economically advantaged group, and in the other case to the economically disadvantaged group.

3.) Perhaps most importantly: the vast, vast majority of people continue to have be same physical sex from birth through death. (A small number alter theirs, but that involves a significant cost as well.) So unlike aging, which only yields to death, sex rarely changes.

Thank you for pointing out that age is, in fact, a protected class.

As to the general topic of age or sex classifications:

The problem I have with using age as an appropriate comparator is that everyone will grow old – but men can not grow female.

As a woman, I find this discussion fascinating. I am one of the unfortunates with a two chronic conditions, but I deal with them because I a big girl, not a whiny, pathetic bitch. The thing that grabs my ass, though, is that women have more (and more significant) problems with their reproductive system than men, and yet men have more effective treatment options. Women have too many conditions with little or no treatment alternative, or treatment that will screw you for the rest of your life so you are forced into a bad choice either way.

Pat us on the head and dismiss painful symptoms as menstruation or hysteria. I would love to see a man deal with Endometriosis, fibroids, PMDD, breast pain, childbirth, tubal pregnancy, ovarian cysts… some men get a cold and you would think they were dying! From what have observed, men have 2 major complaints in sexual health – prostate and impotency. Both are treatable, and usually without too much trauma. If a man is impotent, give a little blue pill, and he is a hero again. When a woman can not have sex without discomfort, she is a frigid bitch.

/rant

Thanks! I feel better now!

I wish the Obama administration had taken the lead on this rather than tossing it to the sausage factory, because we’ve ended up with shit sausage as a result. Why didn’t they tout the idea of investigating the systems in use in other countries, such as the German not-for-profit health insurance companies or the examples of other forms of single payer systems? It’s almost like they wanted the appearance of reform without much actual change…

You don’t get the whole concept of insurance, do you?

Let me explain: You pool a whole bunch of people w/ different risk factors together, average out what they’d actuarially cost the company, divide that up, add a reasonable % for profit, and you have your premium cost. That way the expense is a reasonable amount for all, and high costs to insurers for some are paid for with the premiums of those who are fortunate enough not to have high insurable expenses during any given period. And all have the financial security of being covered. It’s particularly fair in the case of medical insurance b/c the vast majority of us will at least have an expensive final illness, if not also a serious accident or expensive chronic condition, in our lifetimes. Others have already pointed out the particular idiocy of charging one gender more than the other for the procreation of the species.

That’s the whole point of the mandate–to get young, relatively healthier and lower cost people into the pool to lower the average cost. Nevermind that auto insurers have been allowed to abuse the concept by creating different risk pools. The corruption and bamboozling that allows them to get away w/ that is not something to be emulated.

I don’t see health insurance cos. lining up to give discounts to 20-somethings, do you?

“Leadership” did NOTHING to persuade members of the Democratic Caucus to vote against that reprehensible language. Then they danced in the aisles when the most restrictive language in 30 years became theirs.

Any Dems who voted against Stupak and against the final bill have my gratitude. The rest of them, pffft.

That fucker is getting OLD really FAST.