Many of these standards are sex specific. Twelve of them are directed toward improving women's health, but none are directed toward men's health. So we are left to surmise why NCQA imposed standards on HMOs that obviously are vulnerable to the allegation of sex bias.
Women are the higher risk population.
Some have argued that women are the at-risk population, and therefore they are in greater need of healthcare attention. Key vital statistics, however, paint a different picture. In 1997 the life-span gender gap stood at 6 years. Men are twice as likely to die of heart disease or injuries and are four times as likely to die of HIV infection, suicide, or homicide. Women experience higher rates of osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, eating disorders, and depression, but key vital statistics overwhelmingly point to men as the higher risk population.