Insurer to End Bias Against Abuse Victims : Coverage: State Farm responds to criticism that nation’s largest carriers deny policies to women beaten by their husbands.

Effective immediately, victims of domestic violence will generally receive the same treatment as other applicants for health and life coverage from State Farm Insurance, the company said Tuesday.

The announcement came less than three weeks after women’s rights activists and a lawmaker contended that some of the nation’s largest insurers routinely deny insurance coverage to women who have been beaten by their husbands.

State Farm, based in Bloomington, Ill., has begun providing its life and health insurance operations with domestic violence guidelines.

“There haven’t been statistics available for us to make pricing or eligibility decisions or for anyone to speak conclusively on this issue,” said Glenn Britt, State Farm executive vice president.

“But recent attention to this issue has caused us to give our agents and employees some guidance,” he said in a statement.

State Farm said that under its new guidelines, domestic violence is not a reason to deny coverage, except in extreme cases where the violence is “current, repeated and life-threatening.” In those instances, State Farm will review each application case by case.

State Farm will work with Rep. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House criminal justice subcommittee, to gather figures and identify an organization the insurer can support to help combat domestic violence.

Schumer and activists said last month that they estimated the practice of denying coverage had affected thousands of women and discouraged others from reporting beatings and other abuse to their doctors and the police.

“This is a very big difference in State Farm policy,” said Melanie Sloan, the subcommittee’s counsel. “Generally, if you just have an incident or two of domestic violence in your past, you no longer will have a problem. Even in an extreme situation, you may be insured by State Farm.”

A survey by Schumer’s subcommittee staff found that eight of 16 insurance companies polled acknowledged they may reject an applicant because she had been beaten by her husband or partner.

State Farm worked with Schumer, and the subcommittee sent letters May 18 to the seven other companies; only State Farm has responded.

“I think this will influence everybody,” Sloan said of State Farm’s action.