In eight states in the United States, it is still legal for insurance companies to deny coverage to women who have been abused, as these women are considered a financial liability.

In some parts of the United States, not only do some women face abuse by their domestic partners, but they also experience discrimination by insurance companies who turn them down for coverage on the basis that domestic abuse is a pre-existing condition.

Traditionally, many have blamed women for their own abuse, arguing that they provoked it or that they are to blame for staying with their abuser. For this reason, there has been a huge stigma associated with being a victim of abuse. The recent issue of denying insurance to abuse victims is one example of how abused women are being further stigmatized.

What is the problem?

Insurance coverage is often denied to people with a pre-existing condition. That is, before they attempt to qualify for insurance, a condition they already have (diabetes, heart disease, etc.) may make them less eligible because they will be more likely to incur expensive hospital time and doctor’s visits. Many insurance companies reason that women who have been abused will also cost them money if their abuse causes more emergency room visits. Although this practice has been banned in most states, there are still eight states (Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming) and the District of Columbia that allow this injustice to happen.

The ban is currently being debated in the House along with other health care reform issues.

How do insurers detect abuse?

According to an NPR article on the subject, insurers have many ways of finding out whether a woman is an abuse victim, even if she doesn’t report it directly. For example, they may read a doctor’s file where notes about her abuse are written or they may check how frequently a woman has visited an ER. They may go to the courthouse to read Protection from Abuse Orders (orders signed by judges telling abusers to stop harming the victim).

NPR also found that insurance companies would never inform people why they were denied coverage, making this a difficult problem to detect.

An old problem

Huffington Post reported that this issue is not new. In 1995, Charles Schumer (D-NY) did research on sixteen insurance companies and found that half of them wouldn’t write disability, health, or life insurance policies for victims of domestic abuse.

Tragic results

The results are that a woman is less likely to confide her abuse to her doctor if she’s afraid it will hurt her chances of getting insurance coverage. She also may be less likely to leave her abuser out of fear of not being able to get coverage on her own for herself or for her children.

Essentially, this policy further marginalizes victimized women and makes them more likely to hide their abuse. It also puts the burden onto the victims instead of where it should be: on those perpetrating violence.

Historically, the issue with domestic abuse has been making it clear that it is first and foremost the fault of the abuser. By further punishing an abused woman, we are contributing to the problem: making women culpable for the abuse beyond their control.

The opinions expressed in this text are those of the author.