Women paying more than men for health insurance? Discrimination. Men paying more for life and auto insurance? No problem. Feminists only want rights when it benefits Women, not equality.

kayla92 · 2011-01-20T16:38:22+00:00

::sigh::

Women tend to pay more than health insurance because, statistically, they visit doctors more often and incur higher medical expenses over a longer period of time.

Men pay more life and auto insurance because (again statistically) they die sooner, have more moving violations, and get into accidents more often.

If you think insurance companies give a damn about discrimination-- man, woman, dog, armoir-- you're fooling yourself. It's all about dollars and cents!

nlakes · 2011-01-21T04:42:23+00:00

Women, not just feminists, are largely ignorant as to the oppression and prejudice men face. We often get met with "man up" or "that's not really an issue compared to x" when we talk about our concerns. They're more interested in playing 'who is the biggest victim' than fighting for equality for both men and women.

However, we can be guilty of the same thing. How often do women say how much pressure girl mags put on body image and we dismiss it with some snide remark or just general derision?

People seriously need to listen and try to understand the issues both side face in oppression rather than playing "we have it worse".

This is why we need men's studies, and not stupid idiotic remarks like 'history is the study of men'. We need to identify areas that are keeping men down, just as women need that too. What we don't need are smug power-and-privileged preserving feminists monopolising the discourse and marginalising half the voices out there with their perspective.

Feminists talk about male privilege, but when you're the only game in town, the only voice for gender issues - you're the ones with power and privilege. Not men. The last 15-20 years really has been about feminism maintaining their supreme power and disempowering men; excluding them from the discourse under hysterical rhetoric.

zyk0s · 2011-01-20T17:59:38+00:00

Yes, statistically you can prove this and that. I have one problem though. Under what rationale is it ok to discriminate against gender for insurance purposes (car or health) but not against nationality, height, weight, whether one is left or right handed, or any other genetic characteristic? Statistics could show you that african americans have different accident rates than asian, so you can equally well apply the probabilistic argument to that.

Let's be honest and recognize that either we allow arbitrarily narrow buckets for insurance purposes for economic reasons, or we say that the point of insurance is that all pay equally so as to reduce the individual burden of the guy/girl that gets in trouble.

michaelochurch · 2011-01-20T22:54:22+00:00

I think the health insurance issue summons more indignation because health insurance companies, in the US, are objectively evil and everyone hates them.

The crime is not that women pay more for health insurance, or that men pay more for car insurance, because that is how insurance works.

Rather, the crime is that private insurance, rather than universal coverage, is the model for health care in the US. Until we go to one-rate public option at the very least, and preferably single-payer, we're going to have a healthcare system that is broken in far more fucked-up ways than gender discrimination in premiums.

wbeavis · 2011-01-20T17:19:30+00:00

<insert minority> only want rights when it benefits <insert minority>, not equality.

FTFY.

Mavlis · 2011-01-20T19:16:30+00:00

The thing that annoys me the most, is that repealing the health care law is made out as if it will disproportionately affect women - and this is obvious political leveraging as anyone in their right mind who actually reads all of the talking points realizes that there's realistically one - and at most, two - of her bullet points that are issues that have anything to do with gender at all. To me, it sends the message that the representative is trying to make something out that is not sexist into something that is sexist for political leverage. Look at all of these points:

Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to victims of domestic violence. Previously, 8 states and the District of Columbia allowed insurance companies to deny such coverage. No more. Under the Affordable Care Act, this practice is outlawed, and victims of domestic violence will be able to safely and securely access the treatment they deserve.

... How is this a women's issue? Ordinarily I would let this go, but by claiming repealing as "discriminatory", it is making a rather obvious remark that women suffer disproportionately from domestic violence despite evidence to the contrary. This is just silly. Denying coverage to victims of domestic violence is not a women's issue.

Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to classify pregnancies and C-sections as "pre-existing conditions", and women will no longer face the prospect of discrimination because they gave birth.

This is the only true women's issue - as, obviously, men can't get pregnant or have C-sections. I don't know enough to investigate it, but there might be some male equivalents as well.

Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to place "lifetime limits" on health benefits for women, and end care when its need the most.

This one halfway affects women more statistically, only because on average they pay more for health care over their life time - but that is a separate issue, as anyone could conceivably hit this cap, regardless of gender.

Women who do not have access to insurance through employers will be able to obtain insurance through health insurance exchanges. These exchanges are being designed and implemented as we speak to offer a wide selection of health insurance plans at competitive rates.

... What? Again, nothing to do with women.

Women will receive free preventative health services, from mammograms to pap smears.

This tries to prevent itself as a women's issue by mentioning mammograms and pap smears, but there are a lot of free preventative health services - again, this has absolutely nothing to do with women.

The "donut hole" in Medicare Part D will be closed through the Affordable Care Act, helping women pay for health care as they grow older.

Probably one of the most ridiculous of all. Closing the donut hole is not a women's issue. Not even close.

Idear_ · 2011-01-20T17:35:41+00:00

Women who are advocating paying the same for health insurance as men are doing so in their own best interest. If men want to pay the same as women for life and auto insurance, they should form their own club.

Solkre · 2011-01-20T16:26:50+00:00

Frankly, I think we should all have to pay much less for insurance.

asus3000 · 2011-01-20T19:44:51+00:00

Nature gave us equality, everything since has been favoritism.

ex_ample · 2011-01-21T00:21:25+00:00

Nothing in that Article indicates that Louise Slaughter thinks men should pay more for life and auto insurance. If two women disagree, it doesn't make them both hypocrites.

In fact, is there any evidence anywhere for women arguing that men should pay more for life/auto insurance?

cey · 2011-01-20T22:06:36+00:00

The auto insurance thing has always bothered me. I'm a woman, and i own a car. Though because i'm under 25, to save money, the insurance is under my dad's name. I don't think it's fair to charge an entire gender or age group more money just because they're "at risk". It should go by past history. Why should all men get punished for what only some men do? Why should all young people pay more because of a few idiots behind the wheel? I know at first, there isn't anything to draw from, but everyone deserves a clean slate. Not tarnished from what other people have done, and be held to it just because you happen to be a man or young. If you mess up, then pay. It should be fair, but try asking for fairness from an insurance company.

Outtastep · 2011-01-21T04:50:36+00:00

this article is moronic.

it suggests that women pay up to 50% more for healthcare when bought alone. And this cost difference is only because discrimination.

anyone who knows anything about advertisements knows that the words "UP TO" mean nothing. "get UP TO X% off" all that means is that you wont get more than that off.
maybe women cost more to insure(as has been mentioned before). Why should women cost the same to insure

AnnaSmiles · 2011-01-20T16:51:03+00:00

If they didn't have double standards, they'd have no standards at all.

cyprinis · 2011-01-20T22:09:23+00:00

I've been saying this for years. If it was the other way round, They'd be going batshit.

goldjerrygold · 2011-01-21T01:06:57+00:00

Relevant.

caffeineme · 2011-01-21T01:18:49+00:00

I think it's called actuarial science. It's the study of statistics that allows an insurance company to evaluate a group of people and determine their risk factors to allow for profitable underwriting.

It's not discrimination, it's evaluating risks to allow a customer to purchase a policy that meets their needs, while at the same time allowing the insurance company to manage the risk and still see a profit should the policy be collected on.

ILoveSensationalism · 2011-01-21T03:06:48+00:00

Do you have a newsletter? I'd like to subscribe!

-ILS

NoxiousNick · 2011-01-21T03:07:01+00:00

How is this news? I thought this was common knowledge.

kovu159 · 2011-01-21T03:58:54+00:00

The law was changed in my province on auto insurance a while back. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, has there rates set by their years of experience, training, and driving record. You can be a 25 year old woman who just got a license, or a 16 year old boy (as I was), and pay the same insurance if you both got your license in the same year.

I paid a third of what guys my age were just across the border in a province without regulation. If you screw up and crash/get a ticket, your rates are going right back where they used to be, but at least I could afford m own car and insurance on an after school job.

FishermansAtlas · 2011-01-20T23:50:19+00:00

Feminism is dead. The only thing holding women's rights back at this point is them complaining about shit like that.

roguebluejay · 2011-01-20T15:40:34+00:00

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2011-01-20T18:21:23+00:00

I have to say that I consider myself as a feminist, possibly in a different manner than you're used to, and I do get upset about local disparities in attitude towards men and women, even when they are worse towards men than to women.

however, I have never gone to protest for anything, and it would take something seriously bad to get me to protest, and not being directly influenced by it makes it even less likely to happen.

frewitsofthedeveel · 2011-01-20T18:35:09+00:00

You make it sound like it's women. It's not. It's ANY power bloc that represents any specific group. They fight tooth and nail to obtain the upper hand. In theory, this should balance out. It doesn't.

expand_your_mind · 2011-01-20T23:15:03+00:00

Sorry, where does the article mention anything about life or auto insurance?

lucasj · 2011-01-20T18:47:16+00:00

Am I missing something? This article doesn't even mention life or auto insurance.

CloNe817 · 2011-01-20T17:14:04+00:00

Shit. Try getting a man into an all womans college, or a job at Hooters. But heaven forbid there is a all man college. I can name a dozen all womens colleges, but there are no longer any all mens colleges. Im all for equal rights, but feminists are complete hypocrites

femzzzzzap · 2011-01-20T19:39:24+00:00

STFU and stop categorizing all feminist together and saying they ALL think it's not a problem here or discrimination there. Stop being a small minded retard. Trolly fuck.

LonginesWatch · 2011-01-20T20:56:35+00:00

Of all the tiresome shit on Reddit -- and there is so much! -- men's rights is by far the most tiresome.

2011-01-20T16:50:47+00:00

lol u mad?

MensRightsClown · 2011-01-24T18:30:24+00:00

Agreed. This is bullshit. So what if men have shorter lifespans than women and therefore have higher life insurance premiums? Don't those companies know what evil cunts women are? So what if men get into more accidents than women? WOMEN PUT ON MAKEUP WHILE THEY'RE DRIVING AND TALK ON THE PHONE MORE! They should be penalized for that and also because THEY ARE STUPID CUNTS! Jesus Christ, America. Stop letting the split-tails take over before you make us the laughing stock of the Muslim-speaking world.

shakenblake · 2011-01-20T16:14:49+00:00

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2011-01-20T21:13:53+00:00

They're called Feminists for a reason. If they were out to achieve equality for all, they'd be called Equalists. If Feminists created a society that all but enslaved men, job well done.

madrigar · 2011-01-20T21:37:16+00:00

Nothing on that list has anything to do with rights one way or another, other than the business owner's rights being violated by law. Not a single thing.

brtspears1 · 2011-01-20T23:51:24+00:00

Omg a flaw in a civil rights movement's platform.... Noooo!

2011-01-21T02:18:02+00:00

Any movement named after a certain party is not going to be fare. Its about advancement not equality, at least NAACP admits it.

Benlarge1 · 2011-01-20T20:28:43+00:00

Real objectivity requires an IQ over 140 and a close study of symbiotic ecosystems. That's...oh I dunno..like less than 3% of the population (I wanted to say less than 1% but heck I'll lie to make everyone feel better). People haven't concluded that there's a benefit to being objective. This universe, I've concluded, must be a "throwaway" universe. Out of the infinite multiverse there are universes which are selected out to not propagate their knowledge forward. We are living in one of them.

with_the_quickness · 2011-01-20T19:20:29+00:00

god damn you whiny fucking douchebags need to go fuck off.

men kept women in the position of being less than full human beings for almost all of human history, and now you bitch because of insurance prices or a few scattered crazy bitches calling false rape?

go fuck yourselves, the lot of you. you fucking morons wouldn't know fucking discrimination if it beat you back away from the fence with its baton.

2011-01-20T23:39:41+00:00

[permanently deleted]

2011-01-20T18:45:20+00:00

It's so true. If you look at it's basic ideology, that people should have the same rights and opportunities regardless of gender, I support feminism. When you look at borderline extremists whose only goal is to further prove their own victimization, I second guess myself.

2011-01-20T19:39:01+00:00

Most people only care about them self's.

2011-01-20T21:21:32+00:00

Something else to consider is the amount of research dollars spent on health issues related to women vs men. Statistically speaking, more dollars are spent for health issues related to women moreso than men. This is a long standing issue and it continues to play a role in how research dollars are spent.

DigiSerf · 2011-01-20T21:43:14+00:00

Insurance industry is actually the only industry that is actually allowed to discriminate. Did you know that?

bluebogle · 2011-01-20T17:36:55+00:00

Sad little men so afraid of women. You guys are pathetic.

Nexlon · 2011-01-20T20:13:28+00:00

Women who want rights when it only benefits women are called Sexists, not Feminists.

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