A report by the New York Times has revealed that women usually pay much higher premiums on health insurance than their male counterparts in the US.

Pondering factors that range from years of child-bearing to the individual markets, the report said female subscribers use more health services and pay higher premiums.

The newspaper added that although this was not a new issue, it was could become a cause for concern as more people shift from employer-sponsored insurance to the individual market.

Whereas under the employer-sponsored cover there is a standard price for both genders, in the case of the individual market prices could vary widely.

It noted further that even the prices of policies that have no maternity cover still exhibit a massive difference.

But insurers advance the position that women are more likely to require regular medical check-ups than men, they may need more prescription medications and could suffer certain chronic diseases.