WASHINGTON — Health insurance companies, facing the threat of a government health plan, offered on Tuesday to reduce rates for millions of women and accept close federal regulation of their industry.
The higher premiums now affect 5.7 million women, many of them self-employed people who must buy their own coverage.
The industry is trying to head off creation of a government health plan that would compete with them to enroll middle-class workers and their families. Companies say it would drive them out of business. Employer groups are also leery, fearing a public plan would entice young, healthy workers by offering lower premiums.
Most Americans — men and women — are covered through employer plans, which are prohibited from charging higher premiums because of gender, poor health or other similar factors. Only about 9 percent purchase their own health insurance.
It’s in this group that women face higher rates, because health care costs for women tend to go up during childbearing years. Some policies don’t cover maternity care.
No torture memo charges
Bush administration lawyers who approved harsh interrogation techniques of terror suspects should not face criminal charges, Justice Department investigators said in a draft report that recommends two of the three attorneys face possible professional sanctions.
D.C. votes to recognize gay marriages from states that approve them
On a 12-1 vote, the City Council in the nation’s capital voted Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages from states that approve them. The vote is considered the first step toward eventually allowing gay marriages to be performed in Washington. Congress, which has final say over the city’s laws, has 30 days to review the bill, assuming Democratic Mayor Adrian Fenty, a supporter, signs it.
New York: Teen kills himself at school
A Canandaigua high school student with ammunition and homemade explosives in his locker used a sawed-off shotgun to kill himself in a campus bathroom while classes were in session. A search of the 17-year-old’s locker revealed 30 rounds of ammunition and two Molotov cocktail-type devices made of bottles filled with liquid and corked with rags, police said. No suicide note was found.
Gang member stored guns in day care center, police say
Authorities found handguns, shotguns and ammunition in the basement of a small Long Island day care center, an arsenal that allegedly belonged to a Bloods street gang member, prosecutors said Tuesday. The operator of the Just in Time Day Care Center, Kathryn Smith, 50, and her husband, David, 48, were charged with illegal weapons possession and conspiracy Tuesday. They pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors believe the weapons belonged to the Smiths’ 28-year-old son, Anthony Sands, an alleged Bloods gang member.
Pakistan: Fleeing fighting
Thousands of panicked civilians began fleeing the conflict-ridden Swat Valley region Tuesday, fearing a full-fledged confrontation between government forces and Taliban fighters after the insurgents declared an end to their peace accord with the government. Officials in the North-West Frontier Province predicted that half a million people would join the exodus from Swat, where Taliban fighters are occupying hundreds of houses and other buildings as they prepare to resist an anticipated assault by Pakistani army troops.
France: Seal product ban
The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in France on Tuesday to ban imports of seal products, including fur coats and even some omega-3 pills, in an effort to force Canada to end its annual seal hunt, the world’s largest. The Canadian trade minister promised to challenge the ban.
From Herald news services
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