Rocky Mountain Health Plans
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Rocky Mountain Health Plans is a health insurance company based in Grand Junction, Colorado, that gained notoriety in 2009 after denying 4 month old, breast-feeding baby health insurance because he was too fat. RMHP denied health insurance to baby Alex Lange, who was 25 inches long and weighed about 17 pounds, because he fell into the 99th percentile for height and weight for his age, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Based on those guidelines, RMHP's insurance underwriters denied health care coverage for Alex, saying he had a "pre-existing condition" of obesity. The baby's father, Bernie Lange, worked for a local television station, KKCO, an NBC affiliate, as a reporter, and reported on the denial. The story went national and was featured on MSNBC's "The Ed Show," NBC Nightly News, "The Today Show," NPR and other media outlets. RMHP reacted to the negative publicity by changing its policy to cover chubby babies. [1][2][3]
Related Sourcewatch resources
External resources
Contact
Rocky Mountain Health Plans
2775 Crossroads Blvd.
Grand Junction, CO 81506
(970) 244-7800
References
- ↑ Clayton Sandell Too Fat for Health Insurance? At Four Months?, ABC News, October 12, 2009
- ↑ Tim Ciesco Big baby gets health insurance; Local family sharing story with national media, NBC 11 News, Grand Junction CO, October 12, 2009
- ↑ Fox News 17-Pound, 4-Month-Old Baby Denied Health Insurance for Being Too Fat, October 13, 2009
