Baby Denied Health Insurance for Being Too Fat

Health insurance coverage denials know no age limit. Alex Lange, a four month old baby from Colorado, was recently denied insurance after he was deemed to be too fat for his age.

At 25-inches long and 17lbs., Alex is above average. Alex's father Bernie Lange and his wife Kelli say that their insurance went up 40% when he was born. So when they went to shop for better premiums, they were shocked to learn that the size of their baby matter.

An insurance underwriter for Rocky Mountain Health Plans simply wrote, "Your baby is too fat."

Alex born at a healthy 8 1/4 pounds. He boasts quite a healthy appetite, which is why he has been packing on the pounds. For a baby of his age at his weight and height, he ranks in the 99th percentile.

Bernie, a part-time news anchor for KKCO-TV in Grand Junction, CO said:

"We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill."

Kelli added: "He's healthy in our eyes. It's like we're being punished."

Dr. Douglas Speedie, director of Rocky Mountain Health Plans, explained:

"We do it because everybody else in the industry does it."

Most insurers won't cover any baby above the 95th percentile, no matter how healthy they are. It's simply a numbers game. The Langes said they are appealing the decision, but they are "not going to withhold food to get him down below that number of 95" and they are "not going to have him screaming because he's hungry."