Underweight girl denied coverage

Same state and another child denied health insurance coverage case...

ERIE, Colo. -- First it was a 4-month-old Grand Junction boy who was denied health insurance coverage because, at 17 pounds, he was considered overweight. Now comes word that a 2-year-old Erie girl has also been denied coverage because she doesn't weigh enough.

Aislin Bates weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces at birth. She now tips the scale at 22 pounds.

"She's perfectly healthy, yet she has become a statistic," said Aislin's mother, Rachel Bates.

"There's no reason for her to be a statistic as a non-insured person."

When Aislin's father, Rob, worked for another company, Aislin was covered under the company’s group health insurance plan.

Now that Rob is working on his own, he's had to get new insurance. The company, UnitedHealthcare's Golden Rule, sent the family a letter, which says in part, "We are unable to provide coverage for Aislin because her height and weight do not meet our company standards."

"It took me by surprise," said Rob Bates. "I didn't think that her size was that abnormal and that it was something that you'd consider to be unhealthy."

"I had no idea that this would be an issue," Rachel Bates added, "because we always had group insurance with his job. I was floored when a height-weight standard prevented coverage."

A spokeswoman for UnitedHealthcare's Golden Rule said 89 percent of the people who apply for insurance get it. Ellen Laden, the company's public relations director, told 7NEWS that most insurers have their own proprietary height and weight guidelines.

"Ours are based on several medical sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, and are well within industry standards," she said.

Read on.