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Post by ouchy on Oct 12, 2009 23:10:49 GMT -5
Baby 'Too Fat' for Health Insurance Monday, October 12, 2009 filed under: kid health logic  "Four-month-old Alex Lange can't get health insurance ... because he's "too fat." His pre-existing condition? Obesity! He measures 25 inches long and weighs 17 pounds. His height and weight put him in the 99th percentile, and Rocky Mountain Health Plans has turned him down over his weight. "I could understand if we could control what he's eating. But he's 4 months old. He's breastfeeding. We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill," joked his frustrated father, Bernie Lange, a part-time news anchor at KKCO-TV in Grand Junction. "There is just something absurd about denying an infant." Alex's parents were told insurers don't take babies above the 95th percentile, no matter how healthy." www.momlogic.com/2009/10/baby_too_fat_for_health_insura.php |
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Post by ouchy on Oct 12, 2009 23:13:15 GMT -5
Okay. I usually am pro-insurance companies: they're in it to make a profit. However, this is just insane! He's breastfed for God's sake! He's just big! It's not like they're shoving bottles and bottles of formula with added Karo corn syrup down his throat! He's getting the good stuff!
Someone has to be in the upper percentiles! I guess my critter measuring in at the 3rd percent last time probably wouldn't qualify for private insurance, either! Glad we have group!
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Post by omaklackey on Oct 12, 2009 23:34:59 GMT -5
all of my kids were in the upper percentile. Height wise they were all over 99 percentile. Weight though they all stayed at 50 percentile or less. I believe though his mother must not be eating very healthy because this child IS obese. She looks skinny though so its kind of weird unless she is one of those skinny people that can eat crap but her kid can't through her milk. She should really talk to a nurtritionist to get her fat content down or this kid will have health problems
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Post by ouchy on Oct 12, 2009 23:45:44 GMT -5
One of my friends is a vegetarian and very skinny. She is also very short as she is Chinese. Her kid is in the 98th percentile for weight and 50th for height. She has very rich and creamy milk, I guess! Maybe this kid just enjoys hindmilk?
I have another friend who is a raw foodist whose daughter is 99th for weight and 98th for height. She obviously eats very healthily, and she's never had to pump. She just has rich milk, apparently. 100% breastmilk--no solids.
They had me hooked up to a pump in the stupid hospital, so I wound up w/ oversupply and fore/hind imbalance. I had to feed three times per breast to get yellow diapers/enough fat to my daughter.
I think this entirely individual. According to kellymom.com and tons of other resources, a baby isn't obese until baby is mobile and eating solids and still has the fat issue.
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Post by JC on Oct 13, 2009 6:17:48 GMT -5
IT's a breastfed baby, how awful that they denied him. He's just a baby. I was a massively huge baby and I didn't develop any health problems and I wasn't a fat kid. I think it's just how he's growing maybe? But the dad has a point, they can't exactly put him on a diet, he's only 4 months old.
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Post by Karen on Oct 13, 2009 6:40:42 GMT -5
Wow, that's just despicable.
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Post by JC on Oct 13, 2009 18:30:49 GMT -5
I should find some of my baby pictures. I was HUGE like this kid too.
People are freakin crazy. This is a baby for Christ's sake!
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Post by KSA on Oct 13, 2009 18:45:03 GMT -5
I can not believe it WHAT THE HELL is wrong with insurance these days. They deny everything and everyone and now a baby! I think this is just horrible and it makes me sick that they can even do this! Pre existing condition what if a baby is born with a birth defect is that pre existing too so they won't cover those babies now. WTF is Right!
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Post by ouchy on Oct 13, 2009 19:14:40 GMT -5
I can understand not covering anyone w/ a pre-existing condition (from a business standpoint)...but this is not a condition! It's baby fat! And a healthy one at that! It's not even from formula and Karo!
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Post by sunshine78 on Oct 13, 2009 23:17:19 GMT -5
Wow, that sucks ass! My brother's kids are both really big, but not unhealthily so, but probably would hit that "magic (bullsh*t) number" for being denied coverage. They're both big, very long, and grow pretty fast, for no other reason than that's just how they are.
Insurance companies are stupid. They don't take individuality into account, just set arbitrary rules and regulations, and if you just so happen to stray from the norm in any way, you're screwed.
There's a name for this... used in political context... which is a pejorative term... lolol
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Post by ouchy on Oct 14, 2009 17:28:29 GMT -5
I heard on the radio this morning that the insurance company in question has changed their policy due to public outcry and called it an "underwriting mistake." HA!
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Post by JC on Oct 14, 2009 17:57:49 GMT -5
That's exactly what's wrong with healthcare. Everyone sees it as a business opportunity rather than an intrinsic motivation to want to help people in need. That's why horrible things like this happen. Although people need to make a profit to support a living, it doesn't mean they need to get filthy rich!
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Post by Karen on Oct 14, 2009 18:18:30 GMT -5
Damn right they better change their policy!
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Post by cherry on Oct 27, 2009 5:17:00 GMT -5
That's terrible that they refuse to cover him, it's cases like this where a personal visit is needed to exercise discretion.
But my that is a huge baby!
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Post by Karen on Oct 27, 2009 6:54:07 GMT -5
Does anyone watch Chelsea Lately (with comedian Chelsea Handler)? She does a snipit every now and then of a 'fat baby'. She LOVES fat babies so people send in their pictures of their fat babies for her to show.
She did a bit about this particular fat baby, feeling sympathetic for the parents and scolding the insurance company. Man, the jokes they got out of this one were hilarious! (Such as 'I can't blame the baby for wanting to breastfeed so much, but if he keeps it up, those will be the only boobs he'll ever see.') If you haven't seen the show, well, it's just hard to explain....
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