California health insurers discriminate against women, lawsuit contends

California insurers are discriminating against women by charging them more for individual health insurance than men, the city of San Francisco maintained in a lawsuit filed against the state regulators who govern them. The suit contends that Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and Cindy Ehnes, director of the Department of Managed Health Care, approved a system that allows the insurance companies to impose "gender rating" when pricing policies. The ratings resulted in women paying as much as 39% more for coverage then men.