Rocky Mountain Health Plans to cover heavy babies

Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Grand Junction, Colo., has made a companywide policy change and will now provide health plan coverage for healthy infants, regardless of their weight.

Alex Lange was denied coverage when he was two months old because his height and weight were in the 99th percentile according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. In light of the national healthcare reform debate, news outlets, bloggers and talk show hosts across the country covered the story, showing a healthy-looking Alex and interviewing his frustrated parents.

The situation brought attention to a “flaw in our underwriting program for approving infants,” says Steve ErkenBrack, president and CEO, Rocky Mountain Health Plans. “We have changed our policy, corrected our underwriting guidelines, and are working to notify the parents of the infant who we earlier denied.”

The flaw was attributed to a relatively new trend involving families seeking individual coverage for their children. Underwriting for this age group is a relatively new process, according to Rocky Mountain Health Plans.

“We are constantly working on new, innovative ways to deliver quality, affordable health plans that are designed for the people of Colorado,” says ErkenBrack.

Rocky Mountain Health Plans provides medical benefit plans and services to more than 170,000 enrollees in Colorado.