For many years health insurance companies have considered gender when calculating health insurance quotes and this was justified by the statistically different health needs women have verse men.  According to the article “State Law Levels Premiums” found on DailyBulletin.com, the state of California has recently passed a new state law which prohibits California health insurance companies from using gender factors when pricing individual policies.

Some experts believe that gender rating affects women negatively and increases their health insurance rates over men.  The new health care reform bill will prohibit this nationally but not until 2014, so California is just staying ahead of the game by implementing the rule early.  Dave Jones, the state Insurance Commissioner and a former assembly person sponsored this reform which has been approved and went into effect January first.

This new law will affect up to 1 million California women purchasing health insurance in the individual market according to Beth McGovern, legislative director for the California Commission on the Status of Women.  It will apply to both new and existing policies in 2011.