Colorado insurer reverses policy that denied coverage for hefty babies

Colo. insurer changes course on fat infants

DENVER — A Colorado insurance company is changing its attitude about fat babies.

Rocky Mountain Health Plans said Monday it will no longer consider obesity a “pre-existing condition” barring coverage for hefty infants. The change comes after the insurer turned down a Grand Junction 4-month-old who weighs about 17 pounds. The insurer deemed Alex Lange obese and said the infant didn’t qualify for coverage.

The child’s father works at NBC affiliate KKCO-TV in Grand Junction, and news accounts about the boy’s rejection made national headlines.

The insurer said Monday it would change its policy for babies that are healthy but fat. The company attributed the boy’s rejection for health coverage to “a flaw in our underwriting system.”

On the Net:

Rocky Mountain Health Plans: www.rmhp.org