If Men Had Ovaries

Today, far more women are serving in Congress, but their watchful presence is still essential. Sen. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, recently defended the practice of charging women more for insurance by saying, "I don't need maternity care." Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, fired right back: "I think your mom probably did."

Female ferocity is also necessary on the state level. When the Colorado legislature recently took up the issue of gender bias in health insurance, one male lawmaker said "blame God" for putting men's genitalia on the outside and women's on the inside. "Seriously?" retorted State Sen. Morgan Carroll. "Perhaps his brain is on the outside."

According to the National Women's Law Center, two-thirds of American women get insurance through an employer, and federal law bans gender bias in those cases. Another 16 percent qualify for coverage through public programs that also treat men and women equally. But that still leaves almost one in five women who buy insurance as individuals, and that's where the problem occurs.

Because of lax local regulations, women in 40 states can be charged as much as 50 percent more than men; maternity coverage is usually costly and often unavailable. "In short," concludes the law center's study, "too many women face too many obstacles obtaining comprehensive, affordable health coverage in the individual market -- simply because they are women."

Insurance companies argue that women should pay more because they cost more, particularly during their childbearing years. That may be true, but does anyone out there believe that the gender penalties would exist if the men who ran the insurance companies had ovaries?

The last time we checked, most pregnancies required some form of male participation. And in any case, children are a community-wide responsibility (and blessing). Mothers who get regular prenatal care have healthier babies; kids who don't see pediatricians regularly are more likely to develop expensive chronic conditions.