“But it’s not a ‘penalty’; it’s a miracle of modern medicine. Surely, Robert Pear’s article in today’s New York Times, ‘Women buying health policies pay a penalty,’ falls under the category of ‘old news.’ (So old, indeed, that my former colleague Diana Ernst addressed it last year.) Calling it a ‘penalty,’ rather than an actuarially fair premium, is also an old tactic for those who think it would be fairer if the government made it illegal for health plans to charge different premiums to men versus women — which (in case you haven’t figured it out yet) is the goal of Mr. Pear’s article. The article notes that women’s higher health costs are driven by two factors.” (10/30/08)