Skinny Toddlers Also Can't Get Insurance?

We guess we should have seen this one coming. After news broke of the uninsurable fat baby last week, MSNBC found a similar case on the other end of the spectrum. A Colorado family with a 22-pound two-year-old says that United HealthCare told them their daughter Aislin is too small to qualify for insurance under their guidelines.

The funny thing is United HealthCare has already insured Aislin once before, when she was born. Then her father switched jobs and insurers. He recently switch jobs again and switched back to United HealthCare, and that’s when the trouble started.

The insurer turned down coverage for Aislin – even though it had already insured Aislin as an infant – stating she did not meet height and weight standards and also noting the Bateses had sought treatment for Aislin’s finicky eating habits.

But the Bates’ doctor vouched for Aislin’s health and said there’s nothing wrong with her, that her petite size is due to genetics, and that she’s perfectly healthy.

The Bates family told MSNBC why they sought “treatment” over her eating habits in the first place:

Robert and Rachel realized Aislin was a picky eater early on, and went the extra mile to enroll her in food therapy. But instead of earning brownie points with the insurer, the family believes having their daughter in treatment is actually being held against them.

“We wanted to fix her picky eating, because we want her to be able to eat a wide variety of foods, and not just things she wants to eat, like chocolate,” Rachel Bates told TODAY.

“We personally sought out therapy; it was not prescribed by a doctor. In the process, it was found that [Aislin] has just a minor, minor gag reflex, causing her to not like certain foods. But the therapist says she’s thriving and fine, and she’s developing normally and in fact, possibly advanced.”

“Toddler denied insurance for being too small” [MSNBC] (Thanks to Kate!)

RELATED
“Fat Little Babies Can’t Get Insurance?”

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.