Your Child May Be Denied Health Care Coverage Unless You Can Get on The Today Show

Anyone catch that outrageous story yesterday of the little girl who was denied health care coverage because she was too skinny?!  Her parents were on The Today Show stating that she was on “her growth curve," is a picky eater, had a bit of a gag reflex problem that was being treated, and she was denied health coverage!

 Insane!  Like the medical editor of the show, I too am always telling parents of picky eaters, to look at their kid’s growth curve.  What is important is whether or not your child is staying on THEIR growth curve.  In other words, nine times out of ten, or perhaps even 99 out of a 100, there is little need to worry.

Oops!  Spoke too soon; now in fact, there is something new to worry about.  Your kid doesn’t eat and is too skinny, their coverage gets denied.  With all the job losses and COBRA plans running out, this is not an insignificant concern.  Thankfully, this particular insurance company got such a public spanking that we heard this morning that in fact, they changed their minds and this kid got her coverage.

But what about all the families who can’t get on The Today Show?

 Are we mad enough to the point where we are not going to take it anymore?  Are enough people getting affected that there will be enough pressure on the senators, congressmen, whoever the hell is mucking up and standing in the way of health care reform?

 Okay, I know I come from Canada and I am used to socialized medicine, so my world view is different.  I landed up with pneumonia when I moved here, because I couldn’t afford to see a doctor as I had no health insurance.  An annoying cough landed me with full blown pneumonia; diagnosed finally when my boss at the restaurant I was working in forced me to see a doctor.  Payment out of pocket.  No small potatoes for a struggling, new in the city, dancer.

 You forget about all that craziness though, when you are insured.  Or if you are young and basically healthy, and you rarely have cause to see a doctor.  At the rate we are going though, unless you fit into the highest point of the bell curve; that 50^th percentile, or your kids do, and you have no pre-existing condition, maybe and just maybe you can get health care coverage.

There is little doubt that this system is whacked.

So parents, instead of pressuring your kids to eat more if they are picky eaters, pressure your local politicians, write letters, do anything you can to get some serious health care reform. 

 The insanity has gone too far.

Visit me at: www.donnafish.com

 

 

 

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Comments

[ReformCobraNow]

Millions of Americans who lost their jobs prior to September 1, 2008 could not afford Cobra. Millions more elected Cobra but have now depleted their resources and can not continue on. Still millions more with pre-existing conditions who rely on cobra to bridge the 18 month gap between their former employers insurance and their state's high risk insurance pools are struggling to pay their premiums every month to prevent being locked out of insurance permanently.

Please join us in asking Congress and the Obama administration to eliminate the arbitrary September 1, 2008 cut-off date and 9 month limitation of assistance by signing our petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cobrareform and telling your friends about our efforts.

For more information, please see our website at http://cobrareform.weebly.com.

[ldny]

And then I see crap like this and it makes me sick:

http://jezebel.com/5388077/pageant-mom-puts-8+year+old-girl-on-crash-diet/gallery/

I have an 8yo niece and what this mother is doing to her 8yo - putting her a fruit only diet so she can fit into a stupid dress - disgusts me.

[ldny]

Well said, Donna.

It's not just kids deemed too skinny, but also kids deemed too fat that are being denied health insurance. A 4-month old in Colorado was denied coverage because he's above the 95th percentile for height & weight. They said his "obesity" was a pre-existing condition. The insurance company relented after a story in the Denver Post caused a backlash. /sarcasm alert/ So apparently, you don't need to get on the Today show - a major metropolitan newspaper will do the job just fine. /end sarcasm/

The story is here: http://consumerist.com/5380068/fat-little-babies-cant-get-insurance

I've been plenty mad about the lack of action being taken on health care reform for a long time now and issues like these are just a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things. The fact that we have to legislate common sense and decency and basic humanity is the root of the problem, however. We'll need anti-stupidity legislation to fully solve this problem.