Bills on ‘Gender Rating,’ Coverage of HPV Vaccine Clear Senate Chamber
On Thursday, the California Senate approved a bill (SB 54) that bans health insurance companies from charging different rates based on gender, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/15).
The state Assembly on Monday voted 48-29 in favor of a similar measure (AB 119).
Federal law already prohibits businesses that offer health benefits to workers from charging different premiums for men and women.
Insurance companies claim the practice, called gender rating, is justified because younger women typically seek health care services more frequently than men.
Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) authored the Senate bill after San Francisco filed a lawsuit against the state aiming to bar gender rating. San Francisco officials opted to delay the lawsuit pending the outcome of the two measures (California Healthline, 5/14).
HPV Vaccine Coverage
On Monday, the Senate approved SB 158 by Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa), which would require health plans that cover cervical cancer treatment or surgery to also cover the vaccine for the human papillomavirus, the Eureka Times-Standard reports.
Some strains of HPV have been found to cause cervical cancer.
The bill now goes to the Assembly for consideration (Eureka Times-Standard, 5/13). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.