Should health insurers be allowed to charge higher rates for gays b/c of the greater likelihood of AIDS?

Question

I believe they should. Now before you pillory me, let me say I am a strong supporter of equal rights for homosexuals and gay marriage. But here's why I believe health insurers should be allowed to charge higher rates for homosexuals.

Insurers are in the business of assessing risk and base their rates on these assessments. Health insurers charge higher rates for smokers because of the greater likelihood of cancer, and life insurers charge higher rates for those who engage in life-endangering activities like skydiving. So if you accept that homosexual behavior (male homosexual behavior at least) entails a greater risk of contracting AIDS, shouldn't health insurers be allowed to charge gays more on the same basis?

Moreover, it's an issue of fairness to society since health insurance involves some cost-sharing. If you engage in an activity that increases the risk and therefore the cost, shouldn't you bear a larger portion of the cost?

I'll address confidentiality concerns.

Re: the sickle cell question, yes I do believe they should be allowed to charge more if testing proves the black person has the trait, as long as we're talking about a private health insurance plan. We can't eliminate unfairness in all aspects and when the issue involves private cost-sharing among members of society, I think it's more important to allocate cost-sharing burdens fairly to the group as a whole.

With respect to how AIDS is transmitted, yes I realize there is a risk even in heterosexual sex, but it's far lower. Insurance companies rate people who are higher risks for some things, that's just the way insurance works. Insurance isn't a one-size-fits-all business, at least not in the private sector for the most part.

Adam, I'm not worried about AIDS as a "boogeyman". Imo we must accept that some level of AIDS infection will continue to occur until it is cured. The question is how do we minimize the risk that it will occur, and for that reason, besides the fact that it's just basic human equality, I am strongly in favor of legalizing gay marriage in order to promote monogamy among homosexuals.

But that's not the issue. The issue is, it is wrong to assess a greater portion of the cost among those who represent a greater risk for certain behaviors, since private health insurance is a cost-sharing mechanism? It isn't wrong in the instance of smoking, so why should it be wrong in this instance?

Statistics show that there's a far greater risk of AIDS transmission in certain sexual behaviors, that's just a fact. No one should be ashamed to admit that.

Also Adam, your figures are a bit disingenuous because they include AIDS stats from Africa, where there's just piss-poor healthcare and knowledge to begin with. In educated first world countries (which is where most private health insurers operate in the first place), homosexuals far outnumber the heterosexuals as a pro rata percentage of those infected with AIDS.

And Granny, I'm not some corporate type at all. I don't work for a insurance company...in fact, I sue them mostly, as I'm a lawyer, lol.

I'm just a libertarian for the most part, and I analyze things on the basis of the concepts of contract (what humans mutually agree to after assessing the costs among themselves by bargaining) and basic fairness when there's societal cost-sharing involved.

Answer 1

Private health insurance companies are private businesses. They can do anything they like, and that includes charging higher rates for gay people, whether or not it's fair.

Personally, I think it can make sense either way . . . AIDS transmission risk is somewhat higher for the gay male community, so I understand. Facts are facts.

But at the same time, if I were a safe-sex practicing gay man, I wouldn't want to have to pay higher premiums because of the unsafe actions of my fellow gay men.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

You are so far off base AIDS is not a gay disease.

Check the stats and see how many heteros have AIDS dude then pray for a heart and brain!

You are obviously one of those corporate business type dudes that really thinks your here to make money and live by what ever corporate or government hype they can dish out and that profits are the most important.

Hope you don't get a major illness because someone may decide to discriminate against you when you need the most!

So all heteros..................stop having sex that is increasing your health insurance premiums! DA!

Answer 3

You do know how aids is transmitted right?? And if you do, then why single out gay people?? It should apply to any person having sex of any kind. Straight sex, lesbain sex are all high risk for contacting aids if participating with an infected person with out the proper procautions.. i think you should do a bit more reading before you start shooting off you mouth off. As for smokers,, all the fat lazy people in the world are the biggest burden on the health care system..and they are everywhere..50 % of the poputaion is obese and 10 percent is gay..

Answer 4

No, single straight women also run a great risk of getting AIDS. Also some gay men are very monogamous. Are you going to lump those with life partners in the same category. It doesn't matter much anymore. They have gay health insurance providers now that will factor that in. Gay marriage would level that playing field and bring in more secular health insurance providers.

Answer 5

As long as they charge much more for heterosexuals to cover the costs of pregnancy and childbirth.

EDIT: Homosexuals are less than 10% of the total population, so even if they have a somewhat higher incidence of STDs of any kind including HIV, that's a fraction of what the 90% of the rest of the population is infected with. This is called fun with statistics.

Answer 6

they are in a position to, whether it in basic terms isn't conceivable to for my area "underwrite" each and every participant of their plans. incredibly they "underwrite" a team - like a employer - and anybody in the gang gets the comparable value. I do think of companies could supply rebates decrease back to workers who undergo an annual "weigh-in" - in actuality i think of this could join any national healthcare plan. everybody who needs "loose" healthcare from the government could be keen to fulfill taxpayers a million/2-way and look after a smart weight. obese human beings could could save a a million/2 lb weight reduction a week over the years (25 lbs/3 hundred and sixty 5 days) to maintain their "loose" coverage. Even the fattest individual at this value might attain their purpose weight interior 5 to ten years and be much less of a well being criminal accountability to the device.

Answer 7

LOL. How funny your ignorance is, well, not actually.

Straight people have aids 5-to-1 more than gays. Straight women get aids, 10 to 100 TIMES more likely than MEN! Simply because of micro-tears and the ph balance of their v*gina's! ONE OUT OF EVER FOUR STRAIGHT PEOPLE WHO HAVE AIDS, DOESN'T KNOW IT! There are 29,750,000 straight people with Aids according to the World Health Organization, that means there are 7,437,500 STRAIGHT PEOPLE WHO DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY HAVE AIDS, AND ARE SPREADING IT AROUND!

Yet your worried about 5,250,000 Gay people worldwide with Aids?

Answer 8

THERE IS NOT A GREATER LIKLIHOOD OF GETTING HIV/AIDS IF YOU ARE HOMOSEXUAL, the only reason this is thought is because the first recorded cases were in homosexual couples. but no, AIDS doesn't discriminate and niether should healthcare agencies

Answer 9

NO they should pay Health insurance equal because they live in the USA. American's should all be equal with health care. It should be optional to make donations to help with the costs for Homosexuals but not make them pay more because they are Homosexuals.

Answer 10

Well your logic makes sense to me and i am gay and black. But you can't single out gay people to pay higher rates if you won't single out any of the other groups to pay higher for being at a higher risk for anything. Further more black should not be singled out for that sickle Cell trait because that is not caused from anything we do to ourselves and because of that making us pay higher rates for that would be pure discrimination. And no i am not one of those black people that throw the race card in every ones face simply because i want an words spoken to me by any one to be 100% truthful and honest, but that would be discrimination! GOOD QUESTION I HOPE YOU ASK MORE!!