Rejecting Infants

By Fester:

I will be a first time father this Christmas, and I am massively excited and a little bit worried. Will my child be developing at an appropriate pace?  Will s/he drive us nuts with incessant questions about everything from the age of 2 to whenever I go deaf ( I also worry that my parents will encourage this trait as revenge upon me.)  Will we be in a position to provide for the stimulation and activities that maximizes their potential and their joys?    How much sleep do I really need to function?  How much life insurance does my wife and I need?  How will the cats respond to an infant?  Really, how many onesies does a single kid need in the first six months of their life? 

These are just some of the questions that I have.  I know I am operating under a veil of ignorance that can only be partially lifted despire my best efforts.  I'm talking with my parents about how I and my four siblings were as kids.  I am speaking with the guys I grew up with who have infants and toddlers now.  They are sharing their stories and giving me useful answers such as a dozen onesies are more than sufficient.  I'm reading as many books as I can on fatherhood and early child development theories.  But I know I am functionally clueless despite my best efforts. 

One thing I have not been worrying about is medical care for myself, my wife or my child.  I have a group health insurance plan through work and I know my child automatically qualifies once I notify into my HR rep's office.  However the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is highlighting the story of a baby of a friend of a friend:

Cecilia Kownacki found out the hard way. The denial letter from Highmark arrived last month: "Dear Ms. Kownacki: [We] are sorry to inform you that your application does not meet our underwriting criteria for approval," the letter said.

She took the news in stride, with good humor, perhaps because she was expecting the rejection, perhaps because that's her natural disposition, but more likely because she is only 7 months old.

Her parents, Frank and Susan Kownacki, were considerably more distraught. Their baby daughter was uninsured, starting Friday...

Mrs. Kownacki's issue is different than Mr. Nzambi's. Whereas Mr. Nzambi had a family plan, the Kownackis were trying to secure an individual plan for Cecilia, moving her away from her father's Highmark plan, which was expiring....

Cecilia failed her screening.

The condition?

Acid reflux -- in a baby, this amounts to spitting up a lot, an inability to fully digest milk....

Routine or not, because of the illness, she could not be underwritten for Highmark's DirectBlue individual plan, which would have cost $150 or so per month. Instead, Cecilia was referred to one of Highmark's high-deductible plans, which don't require medical testing.

But that would have cost more than $400 a month.

The reason she needs an individual plan in the first place is because Mr. Kownacki is a self-employed contractor and Mrs. Kownacki's workplace, an ad firm, doesn't offer family plans...

the Kownackis turned to the state's Children's Health Insurance Program, which just so happens to count Highmark among its local vendors. The CHIP plan, administered through Highmark and subsidized by the state, will cost about $165 monthly, but it won't kick in until Sept. 1.

This is not right.  Babies should have access to medical care at non-crippling costs to their families.  I don't have a massive piece of policy analysis here besides a comment on the stupidity of tying health insurance to employment and the nastiness of a child being unable to choose his or her parents.  The parents were trying to play by the rules.  The rules forced them to accept a crippling monthly premium for a minor pre-condition or to seek care from the state despite the fact that they were willing to pay normal rates. 

But this is just not right. 

Comments

[carol]

Don't get me started . . . it goes without saying that this is pretty much par for the course for almost everyone in America. We. Are. Expendable.

Sorry. But good luck with your new baby. I have 4, plus a few siblings that I raised. The insurance nightmare (will we still qualify for SCHIP, will my diabetic 21 year old sister be able to get insurance after college, why won't Aetna approve my brother's desperately needed hormone shots?) never seems to get better, but having kids is definitely worth it, and you'll actually think that the questions are the cutest thing you've ever heard.

[Colleen]

Fester,

I can pretty much guarantee that not only will Mom and Dad encourage The Child's incessant questions, but will also inform The Child when you only give a partial answer. See "Birds and Bees" and your "Scientific Explanations" at dinner circa 1992.

Also, The Child will have as many onesies as the aunts, uncle(s), and grandparents care to provide. This is what happens when you are the first to procreate.

Sincerely,
Your Sister

[erick]

Fester,
Something no one warned me about was the moment of terror I experienced when getting in the car to take our first child home from the hospital. My wife and sat an looked at each other for a moment or two, then one of us said something along the lines of, "Oh my God. Someone's turned us loose with a baby. What were they thinking!?"
Now, I hear it's not an uncommon experience.
You'll do fine. You'll figure it out.
Try not to worry too much and have fun.
It's a grand adventure.
Erick

[BJ]

Thank you for once again reminding me of my great-grandparents good sense in moving north over the border. Health coverage, particularly for children, is just assumed. Its very hard to wrap your head around a place where that isn't true. Add to that the tendency of for-profit insurance companies trying to ensure they don't have to pay for anything if at all possible since such payments would cut into their profit margins, and, well, let's just say it is incentive enough to work at keeping our Conservatives up here from following the American model for health care.

At least the life insurance question is easy.

[Kirkrrt]

Infant ibuprofen.
Get some drops before your wife delivers.

Also, don't be afraid of sugar water. When I left the NICU in 2002 they were starting to use it as an analgesic.