Baby Denied Health Insurance for Being Too Fat

[PoliCon]

17-Pound, 4-Month-Old Baby Denied Health Insurance for Being Too Fat

Monday, October 12, 2009

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.

Click here to see a video of Alex Lange

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.

SLIDESHOW: WORLD'S FATTEST BABIES

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

[Rockntractor]

That sucks! Maybe a little too much.

[Bubba Dawg]

That sucks! Maybe a little too much.

Winnah!!!!

[lurkalot]

That sucks! Maybe a little too much.

I can't top that one :(

[Gingersnap]

This is a tough one. Since he's only getting breast milk, it's obvious that he's just one of the outliers in terms of height and weight. On the other hand, some parents really do stuff little kids with all kinds of junk that blows them up.

This is one of those cases where common sense needs to prevail. It's just like when you have a body builder who weighs way over the charts but with one look, a normal person should be able to tell the difference between muscular hypertrophy and fatness.

[Rockntractor]

http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv230/upyourstruly/59157.jpg?t=1255446043

[noonwitch]

The kid is 25 inches-that's huge. Maybe not big enough for 17 lbs, but the baby can carry a little more weight on a frame that size.