KANSAS CITY,
Mo. -- This is a frustrating time for many consumers shopping for individual health insurance.
Consumers are paying more for individual health insurance premiums and getting less coverage. That's not the only challenge.
If you have a pre-existing medical condition and you find an insurance company that will offer you coverage; you can also expect a hefty price tag for that policy.
Simply being a woman can launch you into a higher individual health insurance premium bracket.
The monthly premium for a popular Blue Cross Blue Shield individual health insurance plan is $185 for a 30-year-old man and $258 for a 30-year-old woman.
The tables turn as people get older; and men end up paying a higher premium.
The same popular Blue Cross Blue Shield individual health insurance policy will cost a 55-year-old man $383 per month, while a 55-year-old woman pays $279.
It’s an insurance industry practice called gender pricing.
Blue Cross Blue Shield officials explain that women often pay a higher premium before age 50 because women seek more health care than men and women are in their childbearing years.
Insurance companies make money when people do not seek medical care.
