Hartford Weighs Insurance Curbs
|
|
LEAD: Here in this city long synonymous with insurance, women’s rights groups have run into their toughest opposition yet in an already difficult struggle to ban what they assert is sex discrimination by insurance companies. Here in this city long synonymous with insurance, women’s rights groups have run into their toughest opposition yet in an already difficult struggle to ban what they assert is sex discrimination by insurance companies. They say that insurers discriminate by sometimes requiring women to pay higher premiums, particularly for health insurance, because of their sex, and are seeking what they call ”equity” insurance. ”Our adamant viewpoint is that rates should be based on appropriate criteria: driving record, smoker-nonsmoker, high-stress job, etc. - not on the gender of a person,” said Jacqueline A. Zachary, Connecticut coordinator for the National Organization for Women. ”The point is equality rather than monetary,” said Catherine M. Blinder, spokeswoman for the state’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, which has drafted equity legislation for Connecticut. ‘It’s an Economic Issue’ Insurance companies, however, assert that sex is a valid and necessary factor to use in determining risk. They also note that women generally pay less than men for automobile and life insurance because statistics have shown that they are safer drivers and live longer. ”They argue, ‘Oh, the principle,’ ” said John H. Blair, president of the Insurance Association of Connecticut. ”It’s an economic issue, not an issue of discrimination. This bill would be to the detriment of women.” More : query.nytimes.com |