First Lady Michelle Obama has called it like it is: insurance companies who deny women coverage due to previous cesarean section are practicing “gender discrimination.” Read about her recent speech here.
ICAN has previously reported on this growing trend nationwide. As stated in ICAN’s June 2008 press release: “In some cases, women are being rejected for coverage outright and in other case they are being charged significantly higher rates to obtain the same coverage as women without a history of cesarean. With over a million women each year undergoing this surgery, this practice has the potential to render large numbers of women uninsurable.”
Efforts are underway in several states to counteract this trend. For example, legislative efforts this past session made denial of coverage solely on the basis of previous cesarean illegal in Minnesota.
