Too Small For Insurance
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.”
-As seen on the front page of Yahoo Thursday October 22, 2009
This is the very reason the public needs knowledgeable insurance brokers. When an individual is looking for coverage, they need to contact a broker. An individual needs to look at the Agency’s website to make sure that the Broker is able to provide them with the services needed. For example, does the agency quote all the major insurance companies in the state in which the individual resides in? Rates fluctuate with each carrier. It is important to make sure the individual is getting the best coverage at the lowest price. Does the agent offer customer service to assist the individual with problems such as claims through out the year & at renewal when an individual needs to revisit all the insurance carriers in the state to make sure the premium is still fair?
Last, to be able to help individuals like Aislin’s family find coverage. Even though United Healthcare would not write Aislin at first, there are insurance carriers that would. Each insurance carrier has different guidelines they abide by, and these guidelines can fluctuate dramatically. Where agents might find conservative guidelines with one carrier, they can find very lenient guidelines with another carrier. An agent can also assist an individual in overturning a decision or a rider that may have been put on the policy. This is why it is so important to have a knowledgeable Broker on your side. Brokers / Agents are meant to go to bat for individuals, and they work as a counselor for your insurance needs. Best of all their services are at no cost you. The costs of the insurance plans are at the same cost as if an individual were to go directly to the insurance carrier. In other words, their services are free to you with out extra cost being added to the plans. There are answers and solutions to every problem that Texas Health & Life has came across.
To learn more about health insurance, visit http://www.texashealthandlife.com.
Tags: 2 year old, Aislin, Aislin Bates, Aislin's case, coverage for children, height and weight standards, NBC, Today Show, too small for insurance, underweight, United Healthcare, weight requirements
