pruhealth charge women more for insurance - is it legal?

olly300

huwoman wrote: »

None of the posts acknowledge that all I am asking for is the information that the actuaries use to apply the gender based premium. Pruhealth are desperate to deny me access to this information.

This is sensitive commercial information which is why they are denying you access to the data.

They are not the only health insurer out there and you will find different health insurers ask for different premiums dependent on how they calculate their own statistical risks.

huwoman wrote: »

How do I know if they are charging me an unreasonable sum just for being a woman given the company did not even admit to applying these differences until I discovered that they existed. I am not allowed to find out how or why so I could challenge it under the law. This is how I understand the Sex Discrimination laws work.

They and other insurers are exempt from the Sex Discrimination Act therefore they are not required to provide you or anyone apart from a regulator with this commercial information unless ordered to by a court.

Women tend to claim more from health insurance policies in the same way there are statistics to show that women are more likely to go to the doctor then men. This may have nothing to do with ill health but the fact that women take care of themselves more.

huwoman wrote: »

Some of what I assume are men angry about their car insurances seem to suggest I have sour grapes should know that I do not own a car so I am gaining any privileges from either cheaper car insurance or polluting the planet to get from A to B.

This makes you sound angry.

The other posters where just giving a very well known example of insurers penalising one gender instead of another and one age group instead of another.

A few people who I think are men, and those who are under 25 or have teenage children in their households with cars have come on the insurance board in the past and complained about having higher motor insurance premiums due to their gender or age. They have been given the same answers as here.

(BTW I'm female but this makes no difference to the answers.)

pendulum

Men own medical insurance companies and they will always charge you more because you're a woman! Unlucky, feminist!

huwoman

I will pursue trying to get the information out of Pruhealth based on independent advice and I hope this is helpful to all genders.

I agree with Olly that I do not want to sound angry. I was simply trying to point out that the question I was asking is quite specific, for instance if the premium decision is based on reasonable grounds, i think that is fine but not if I am not allowed to have reasonable access to information. That seems to be the wrong way to go.

thank you all.;)

stugib

huwoman wrote: »

I found out that Pruhealth have been charging women more for insurance even when men are older, is this legal?

huwoman wrote: »

I am being asked to pay more than a man who is almost a decade older than me.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you're making a sweeping statement based on a comparison between two cases aren't you?

gordikin

Women live longer age wise than men...do you accept that?

geordieracer

huwoman wrote: »

I will pursue trying to get the information out of Pruhealth based on independent advice and I hope this is helpful to all genders.

I agree with Olly that I do not want to sound angry. I was simply trying to point out that the question I was asking is quite specific, for instance if the premium decision is based on reasonable grounds, i think that is fine but not if I am not allowed to have reasonable access to information. That seems to be the wrong way to go.

thank you all.;)

the reasonable grounds are that you are a woman...

Amistoso would back me up on this... Thats why she took out post payment protection when ruthha was here and paid more then i did

huwoman

I am afraid I can no longer enter a debate where the information to base reasonable assumptions is actually being denied.

However, to answer one persons point stugib, I am not making a sweeping statement.

I am being told by everyone on this site that women have to pay more for insurance. However, not one single person has justified how a male person a decade older should be paying less?

This is my first time on these forums so I am sorry geordieracer that I do not know who Amistoso or ruthha who you say paid more then you did. So you can understand why I cannot comment.

On gordikin's point, I may live longer but I am not of an age where this is a significant comparable issue.

I am afraid that I can no longer continue the debate, but I sincerely wish you all a happy one.

stugib

huwoman wrote: »

I am being told by everyone on this site that women have to pay more for insurance.

No they don't. It's an individual risk assessment. Some will pay more, some won't.

huwoman wrote: »

However, not one single person has justified how a male person a decade older should be paying less?

You're only basing that on two people, and haven't told us about medical history, family history, whether either smoke, occupation, marital status or any of the other risk factors that may explain a premium difference.

huwoman

I will get proper legal advice so please stop posting as I do not need answers which assume lots of things which are wrong factually. I have someone who will provide them for me soon.

drsquirrel

huwoman wrote: »

This is my first time on these forums so I am sorry geordieracer that I do not know who Amistoso or ruthha who you say paid more then you did. So you can understand why I cannot comment.

Like wise people here cannot comment on why a male, ten years older than you pays less.

Being Female vs Male is not the only criteria that separates you both, and the insurance companies will not, or do not have to tell you upon how they calculate their "risk".