Insurance company drops 'fat baby' ban

Published: Oct. 13, 2009 at 1:07 AM

DENVER, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- A Colorado insurance company will drop a ban on providing health coverage for infants considered to weigh too much for their length, a company spokeswoman said.

The policy drew national attention with news reports about 4-month-old Alex Lange, whose family applied for healthcare coverage last week with Rocky Mountain Health Plans, based in Grand Junction, Colo. The family had coverage with another company but Alex's father, Bernie Lange, said the premiums were rising and he was looking for a better situation.

"My insurance broker called me last week and said, 'we can cover you, but your baby is apparently too fat,'" Bernie Lange told ABC News.

Alex Lange is 25 inches long and weighs about 17 pounds -- which puts him in the 99th percentile for height and weight for his age, going by guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rocky Mountain Health Plans has been using the guidelines and its underwriters concluded Alex Lange had a pre-existing condition when they decided to deny coverage for him, because he was above the 95th percentile and was considered to be obese.

Rocky Mountain Health Plans spokeswoman Kayla Arnesen told ABC News the company reviewed its policy, focusing on a basic question.

"Should we be denying coverage for healthy babies just because they are above the 95th percentile?" Arnesen said. "It doesn't make good sense, it doesn't make good policy, and we're not going to do it."

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints


Additional News Stories
Lawyer: Many homeowners should walk away (25 min)
NBA: LA Clippers 106, Denver 99 (29 min)
COL BKB: Washington 80, San Jose St. 70 (30 min)
COL FB: Boise State 52, Utah State 21 (42 min)
NBA: Golden State 108, Portland 94 (51 min)
NHL: San Jose 6, Philadelphia 3
NHL: Vancouver 5, Colorado 2
fark
100ft Christmas Tree crashes into bridge, makes its presents felt
Photoshop this diver
Opportunities exist for beef, dairy producers to utilize damaged corn. Subby is sure milking the...
And if thy ex-girlfriend's eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from the 8th-floor balcony...
What has being a Dungeons and Dragons player taught you about dating?
Yesterday: Stop getting mamograms, they're too expensive. Today: Stop getting pap smears, they're...