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4 Month Old Baby denied health coverage


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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,564501,00.html

 

 

Nothing brings a smile to an adult's face quicker than the sight of a happy, chubby baby.

 

But the sight of 4-month-old Alex Lange, who measures 25-inches long and weighs 17 pounds, is bringing a frown to the hypothetical face of insurance company Rocky Mountain Health Plans, The Denver Post reported on its Web site Monday.

 

Underwriters, the people who are in charge of assessing risk for insurance companies, have decided that baby Alex's pre-existing condition — obesity — makes him a high-risk patient and have denied him coverage.

 

His parents were shocked.

 

"I could understand if we could control what he's eating. But he's 4 months old. He's breast-feeding. 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."

 

Bernie and Kelli Lange tried to get insurance with Rocky Mountain Health Plans when their current insurer raised their rates 40 percent after Alex was born.

 

After filling out the necessary paperwork, the broker who was helping the family find new insurance called last Thursday with the shocking news that Alex, who weighed 8 1/4-pounds at birth, was being denied coverage.

 

At 17 pounds, Alex is in the 99th percentile for height and weight for babies his age. His parents were told insurance companies don't take babies above the 95th percentile, no matter how healthy.

 

Dr. Doug Speedie, medical director at insurance company Rocky Mountain Health Plans, told KKCO-TV, it’s possible for a baby to be above the 95 percentile and still be healthy, and admitted the system is flawed.

 

“Your weight is not an absolute determinate of health," Speedie said. “Unfortunately when we try to sell people insurance, a number has to be used as a cutoff."

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But............but.....this is America! We have the best health care system in the world, this would never happen here! :sarcasm

 

It's interesting to note that the only reason that this even got any press at all is because the babies father is a local news anchor in Colorado, who brought this story up on his newscast. So it's wasn't as if this company suddenly had a change of heart, it was only because it was turning into a PR nightmare for them.

 

The fact is millions of americans are denied healthcare every year. If anyone should be bitching, it is the 9/11 workers. They have been completely sh#t on by our government (who promised them a 100 million+ fund, only to scrap it because "the cost was to high") AND the (completely f'ing corrupt) health care industry. Forget the fat baby, where is the justice for those men? Where is the national outpouring for that injustice?

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But............but.....this is America! We have the best health care system in the world, this would never happen here! :sarcasm

 

It's interesting to note that the only reason that this even got any press at all is because the babies father is a local news anchor in Colorado, who brought this story up on his newscast. So it's wasn't as if this company suddenly had a change of heart, it was only because it was turning into a PR nightmare for them.

 

The fact is millions of americans are denied healthcare every year. If anyone should be bitching, it is the 9/11 workers. They have been completely sh#t on by our government (who promised them a 100 million+ fund, only to scrap it because "the cost was to high") AND the (completely f'ing corrupt) health care industry. Forget the fat baby, where is the justice for those men? Where is the national outpouring for that injustice?

 

Not to rain on your parade, but what about the injustice of stealing from millions of others to pay for that healthcare you think everyone deserves? Or does that injustice not count?

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,564501,00.html

 

 

Nothing brings a smile to an adult's face quicker than the sight of a happy, chubby baby.

 

But the sight of 4-month-old Alex Lange, who measures 25-inches long and weighs 17 pounds, is bringing a frown to the hypothetical face of insurance company Rocky Mountain Health Plans, The Denver Post reported on its Web site Monday.

 

Underwriters, the people who are in charge of assessing risk for insurance companies, have decided that baby Alex's pre-existing condition — obesity — makes him a high-risk patient and have denied him coverage.

 

His parents were shocked.

 

"I could understand if we could control what he's eating. But he's 4 months old. He's breast-feeding. 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."

 

Bernie and Kelli Lange tried to get insurance with Rocky Mountain Health Plans when their current insurer raised their rates 40 percent after Alex was born.

 

After filling out the necessary paperwork, the broker who was helping the family find new insurance called last Thursday with the shocking news that Alex, who weighed 8 1/4-pounds at birth, was being denied coverage.

 

At 17 pounds, Alex is in the 99th percentile for height and weight for babies his age. His parents were told insurance companies don't take babies above the 95th percentile, no matter how healthy.

 

Dr. Doug Speedie, medical director at insurance company Rocky Mountain Health Plans, told KKCO-TV, it’s possible for a baby to be above the 95 percentile and still be healthy, and admitted the system is flawed.

 

“Your weight is not an absolute determinate of health," Speedie said. “Unfortunately when we try to sell people insurance, a number has to be used as a cutoff."

 

I want to know how the hell this kid gained over 2lbs a month on breastmilk? That's amazing for both baby and mother!!

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But............but.....this is America! We have the best health care system in the world, this would never happen here! :sarcasm

 

It's interesting to note that the only reason that this even got any press at all is because the babies father is a local news anchor in Colorado, who brought this story up on his newscast. So it's wasn't as if this company suddenly had a change of heart, it was only because it was turning into a PR nightmare for them.

 

The fact is millions of americans are denied healthcare every year. If anyone should be bitching, it is the 9/11 workers. They have been completely sh#t on by our government (who promised them a 100 million+ fund, only to scrap it because "the cost was to high") AND the (completely f'ing corrupt) health care industry. Forget the fat baby, where is the justice for those men? Where is the national outpouring for that injustice?

 

Not to rain on your parade, but what about the injustice of stealing from millions of others to pay for that healthcare you think everyone deserves? Or does that injustice not count?

 

No it doesn't. <_<

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,564501,00.html

 

 

Nothing brings a smile to an adult's face quicker than the sight of a happy, chubby baby.

 

But the sight of 4-month-old Alex Lange, who measures 25-inches long and weighs 17 pounds, is bringing a frown to the hypothetical face of insurance company Rocky Mountain Health Plans, The Denver Post reported on its Web site Monday.

 

Underwriters, the people who are in charge of assessing risk for insurance companies, have decided that baby Alex's pre-existing condition — obesity — makes him a high-risk patient and have denied him coverage.

 

His parents were shocked.

 

"I could understand if we could control what he's eating. But he's 4 months old. He's breast-feeding. 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."

 

Bernie and Kelli Lange tried to get insurance with Rocky Mountain Health Plans when their current insurer raised their rates 40 percent after Alex was born.

 

After filling out the necessary paperwork, the broker who was helping the family find new insurance called last Thursday with the shocking news that Alex, who weighed 8 1/4-pounds at birth, was being denied coverage.

 

At 17 pounds, Alex is in the 99th percentile for height and weight for babies his age. His parents were told insurance companies don't take babies above the 95th percentile, no matter how healthy.

 

Dr. Doug Speedie, medical director at insurance company Rocky Mountain Health Plans, told KKCO-TV, it’s possible for a baby to be above the 95 percentile and still be healthy, and admitted the system is flawed.

 

“Your weight is not an absolute determinate of health," Speedie said. “Unfortunately when we try to sell people insurance, a number has to be used as a cutoff."

 

I want to know how the hell this kid gained over 2lbs a month on breastmilk? That's amazing for both baby and mother!!

 

Here's a chart of normal kid growth. That baby was above average, but not off the chart. And breast milk is a complete food. Nothing else needed.

 

http://www.kidsgrowth.com/stages/viewgrowt...ts.cfm?id=BW036

Link to comment

But............but.....this is America! We have the best health care system in the world, this would never happen here! :sarcasm

 

It's interesting to note that the only reason that this even got any press at all is because the babies father is a local news anchor in Colorado, who brought this story up on his newscast. So it's wasn't as if this company suddenly had a change of heart, it was only because it was turning into a PR nightmare for them.

 

The fact is millions of americans are denied healthcare every year. If anyone should be bitching, it is the 9/11 workers. They have been completely sh#t on by our government (who promised them a 100 million+ fund, only to scrap it because "the cost was to high") AND the (completely f'ing corrupt) health care industry. Forget the fat baby, where is the justice for those men? Where is the national outpouring for that injustice?

 

Not to rain on your parade, but what about the injustice of stealing from millions of others to pay for that healthcare you think everyone deserves? Or does that injustice not count?

 

No it doesn't. <_<

 

Nice!!! <_< At least you aren't hypocritical about that fact that you are willing to initiate violence on innocent people.

Link to comment

But............but.....this is America! We have the best health care system in the world, this would never happen here! :sarcasm

 

It's interesting to note that the only reason that this even got any press at all is because the babies father is a local news anchor in Colorado, who brought this story up on his newscast. So it's wasn't as if this company suddenly had a change of heart, it was only because it was turning into a PR nightmare for them.

 

The fact is millions of americans are denied healthcare every year. If anyone should be bitching, it is the 9/11 workers. They have been completely sh#t on by our government (who promised them a 100 million+ fund, only to scrap it because "the cost was to high") AND the (completely f'ing corrupt) health care industry. Forget the fat baby, where is the justice for those men? Where is the national outpouring for that injustice?

 

Not to rain on your parade, but what about the injustice of stealing from millions of others to pay for that healthcare you think everyone deserves? Or does that injustice not count?

 

No it doesn't. <_<

 

Nice!!! <_< At least you aren't hypocritical about that fact that you are willing to initiate violence on innocent people.

 

Uh, did I miss something? What does the initiation of violence on the innocent have to do with this discussion?

 

And if you go into some diatribe about how the government violently coerces the people into unfair taxation, then I fear you truly are a lunatic!

Link to comment

But............but.....this is America! We have the best health care system in the world, this would never happen here! :sarcasm

 

It's interesting to note that the only reason that this even got any press at all is because the babies father is a local news anchor in Colorado, who brought this story up on his newscast. So it's wasn't as if this company suddenly had a change of heart, it was only because it was turning into a PR nightmare for them.

 

The fact is millions of americans are denied healthcare every year. If anyone should be bitching, it is the 9/11 workers. They have been completely sh#t on by our government (who promised them a 100 million+ fund, only to scrap it because "the cost was to high") AND the (completely f'ing corrupt) health care industry. Forget the fat baby, where is the justice for those men? Where is the national outpouring for that injustice?

 

Not to rain on your parade, but what about the injustice of stealing from millions of others to pay for that healthcare you think everyone deserves? Or does that injustice not count?

 

No it doesn't. <_<

 

Nice!!! <_< At least you aren't hypocritical about that fact that you are willing to initiate violence on innocent people.

 

Uh, did I miss something? What does the initiation of violence on the innocent have to do with this discussion?

 

And if you go into some diatribe about how the government violently coerces the people into unfair taxation, then I fear you truly are a lunatic!

 

It became a part of this discussion the very second you posted the comment about the injustices of those whose healthcare is not currently being covered by the government. Who do you think would actually pay for it? In case you haven't figured it out yet the government has no wealth, has never had any wealth, nor does it have any way of creating wealth. The only wealth it pretends to have is stolen from the productive individuals of society through taxation, and somehow I'm a lunatic for thinking that's immoral??

 

Since you obviously cannot see this injustice, I'd actually say the lunatic is the person who fails to accept the truth, truly believes healthcare is a "right" and has absolutely no problem using or supporting the use of force as a means to extract payment from productive individuals in order to satisfy your ends. Now that's what I'd call a lunatic, and a murderous one at that!!

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back on topic, a new story:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_hl951

 

 

Embattled health insurance companies are taking a page from Goldlilocks. Last week, a 4-month-old child was denied insurance for being too heavy (the company has since changed its mind). Now the Web is buzzing about a toddler who was denied coverage for being too small.

 

On Wednesday morning, "The Today Show" covered the story of 2-year-old Aislin Bates. Though she weighs just 22 pounds (in the third percentile range for kids her age), her doctor has described her as being perfectly healthy, never having been sick with anything more than a cold. Still, United HealthCare didn't buy it, saying that the child didn't meet height and weight standards. So, no insurance for Aislin.

 

The story has inspired a slew of searches. After the segment aired on NBC, queries on young Aislin surged from zilch into triple digits. United HealthCare is wisely responding to what could be a PR crisis. In an article from Denver's ABC affiliate, a company spokesperson for United HealthCare said the company's height and weight requirements "are based on several medical sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, and are well within industry standards."

 

Still, Aislin's case, as well as the previous incident of the obese 4-month-old, have highlighted the difficulties some parents face when trying to get coverage for their children. Aislin's father Rob was quoted as saying that even though he doesn't support universal health care, this battle over insuring his daughter has made him want insurance companies to have more "legitimate reasons for denying coverage."

 

NBC medical expert Dr. Nancy Snyderman, who appeared with the Bates family, was more pointed in her criticism: “This is just so bogus. A pre-existing condition for a child this age is birth, let’s be real..... This is why things have to change."

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  • 3 weeks later...

But............but.....this is America! We have the best health care system in the world, this would never happen here! :sarcasm

 

It's interesting to note that the only reason that this even got any press at all is because the babies father is a local news anchor in Colorado, who brought this story up on his newscast. So it's wasn't as if this company suddenly had a change of heart, it was only because it was turning into a PR nightmare for them.

 

The fact is millions of americans are denied healthcare every year. If anyone should be bitching, it is the 9/11 workers. They have been completely sh#t on by our government (who promised them a 100 million+ fund, only to scrap it because "the cost was to high") AND the (completely f'ing corrupt) health care industry. Forget the fat baby, where is the justice for those men? Where is the national outpouring for that injustice?

 

 

I think you nailed it here. Veterans seem to be treated the same way.

Link to comment

But............but.....this is America! We have the best health care system in the world, this would never happen here! :sarcasm

 

It's interesting to note that the only reason that this even got any press at all is because the babies father is a local news anchor in Colorado, who brought this story up on his newscast. So it's wasn't as if this company suddenly had a change of heart, it was only because it was turning into a PR nightmare for them.

 

The fact is millions of americans are denied healthcare every year. If anyone should be bitching, it is the 9/11 workers. They have been completely sh#t on by our government (who promised them a 100 million+ fund, only to scrap it because "the cost was to high") AND the (completely f'ing corrupt) health care industry. Forget the fat baby, where is the justice for those men? Where is the national outpouring for that injustice?

 

Not to rain on your parade, but what about the injustice of stealing from millions of others to pay for that healthcare you think everyone deserves? Or does that injustice not count?

 

 

Because we are a nation that shows empathy and cares for it's citizens.

 

I also feel that every single child to the age of 18 deserves 100% complete hearth care. Not a dime ever spent. If we can't come to some kind of agreement, then at least this. That child didn't not ask to be born to the overweight parents, nor the drug addict, or the parent who works a dangerous job.

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