Gender Rating in Health Insurance (H 7513, S 2692 as amended)

Nationwide, women have historically been charged more for the same health insurance as men - solely because of their gender - leaving women less able to purchase vital health care coverage. This practice, known as gender rating, became illegal for certain health care plans under the federal Affordable Care Act, but gaps in Rhode Island law may allow the practice to continue. Legislation would have closed these gaps and ensured gender rating does not occur in Rhode Island, regardless of any changes to federal law. The ACLU testified before the House Corporations committee in support of this legislation in February. The Senate passed this legislation in April, as they have done for the last several years; the House has never moved the legislation out of committee. At the same time, the House also failed to act on Senate-passed legislation proposed by the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner that would have made numerous changes in the health insurance laws without properly addressing this issue.