The recession makes everything more difficult to pay for, but when it comes to health insurance, a new report shows women are at a distinct disadvantage.

America's health care system has a starring role in this election, with lots of talk about individual insurance plans possibly replacing employer-funded coverage. It’s an option out of the reach of people like Leslie Taccetta-Reid.

“The cost of insurance for an individual is just outrageous and we just don't make that much money,” said Reid.

A closer look at insurance programs reveals they're not only pricey, the cost itself depends on who's buying.

A new report by the National Women's Law Center shows that women on average pay up to 60 percent more than men for health insurance, and that's before you add the cost of maternity care.

“It’s completely, not only arbitrary, but unfair,” said Marchia Greenburger of the National Women’s Law Center.

Insurance companies say women pay more because they bear children and are more likely to seek medical treatment and take prescription medications.

Federal civil rights laws prohibit that kind of disparity in employer-based coverage. But the individual insurance market is overseen by the states, few of which forbid such practices.

In an unstable economy with unemployment rates rising, health care advocates say the high cost of individual plans may force women to give up necessary medical treatment.

“It's a moral outrage, it's an economic outrage, especially in these times. It shouldn't be tolerated,” said Greenburger.

Health advocates advise women to lobby their legislators to pass laws that ban these practices. They should also get several different quotes before they choose their insurance coverage.