Adoption Was Cause of Insurance Denial

“Roskelley said that because insurance companies don’t know the health status of an anticipated child, they typically classify applicants as “ineligible.” They then wait until after the child is born or adopted before accepting an application for an individual policy, he said.

Dolezal said his intention was to get coverage for himself, not the child he is planning to adopt. His new son or daughter will be covered by his wife’s insurance plan, he said.

John Conlon, director of insurance services at Costco, said that had Dolezal contacted Costco after he received the denial letter, it would have examined his situation and advocated on his behalf.

Still, Conlon said, it is unlikely the ruling would have changed. Although Dolezal intends to use his wife’s insurance for the adopted child, the fact that he can request coverage through his individual policy means Aetna will not approve his application.

“We’re happy to dig down into his specific circumstance if he wants to,” Conlon said. “We can certainly do everything we can if he wants to go that route, but my guess is he’s going to run into the same situation.”

Dolezal said he’s disappointed and thinks the policy to deny coverage to people who are in the adoption process is poorly conceived.”

Read the rest at Problem Solver: Adoption plans halt health insurance coverage application

[Chicago Tribune 9/20/12 by Jon Yates]

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