I'm wondering if there are any moms out there who've had one or more C-sections and are having trouble with their insurance coverage. There's a cover story in today's (6/1/08) New York Times about how women have been refused coverage or else have to pay high premiums because they've had C-sections in the past.
I'm absolutely appalled by this and feel this is awful discrimination! In the article, a 39-yr-old woman in perfect health was denied individual coverage by the Golden Rule Insurance Company, (owned by United Healthcare), because she'd had a previous C-section and therefore was considered "at risk" for a future C-section since she'd not been sterilized. According to the article, a C-section costs an average $2,700 more than a vaginal birth, and Golden Rule didn't want to have to pay this extra cost. In some states, Blue Cross Blue Shield charges much higher premiums to women who've had C-sections. And there are many other insurance companies that treat C-sections as pre-existing conditions and will not provide coverage unless a woman has been sterlized.
Has anyone encountered this issue?