Using Gender to Set Insurance Rates

By a party-line vote, today the Montana Republican Party today endorsed a bill that would allow insurance companies to consider gender when setting insurance rates and benefits. If this bill is put into law, insurance agents would be able to charge women more for insurance coverage than men (or the other way around).

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Liz Bangerter (R-Helena) is in direct violation of the Montana Human Rights Act, which states that people are “free from discrimination because of race, creed, religion, color, sex, physical or mental disability, age, or national origin.” The act explicitly states that this sort of discrimination is prohibited in employment.

During the debate on the bill, Rep. Michele Reinhart (D-Missoula) called out the hypocrisy of the GOP sponsor for supporting this bill, adding that discrimination means treating someone differently because of who they are. This bill seeks to undo our protections against discrimination.

A law was passed in 1983 to reaffirm that Montanans are free from discrimination based on their gender when it comes to insurance. Since then, every year the GOP has attempted to undo this law.