Parents of "chunky"("too fat" 4 mo old denied insurance) infant weigh in on health insurance reform

[kpete]

Source: Denver Post

Parents of "chunky" infant weigh in on health insurance reform
Frustrated parents of a big infant who is being denied insurance view the system as "absurd."
By Nancy Lofholm
The Denver Post

GRAND JUNCTION — Alex Lange is a chubby, dimpled, healthy and happy 4-month-old.

But in the cold, calculating numbered charts of insurance companies, he is fat. That's why he is being turned down for health insurance. And that's why he is a weighty symbol of a problem in the health care reform debate.

Insurance companies can turn down people with pre-existing conditions who aren't covered in a group health care plan.

Alex's pre-existing condition — "obesity" — makes him a financial risk. Health insurance reform measures are trying to do away with such denials that come from a process called "underwriting."

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13530098