When an insurance company in Colorado denied their 4-month-old coverage because he was “obese”, Bernie and Kelli Lange were stunned. The explanation: The company was relying on standardized growth charts to determine benefit coverage, and their baby’s weight put him in the 99th percentile. Robert and Rachel Bates faced the same problem from the opposite end. Their insurance carrier deemed their 2-year-old daughter too small to insure at 22 pounds, based on the charts, despite a clean bill of health from her doctor. After being turned down initially, the couples took their appeals to the airwaves and both insurers ended up reversing their decisions, giving hope to others who may face similar denials.
