Calif. House Members Ask Insurers To Keep Offering Child-Only Plans
On Thursday, several California members of the House of Representatives sent letters asking Anthem Blue Cross of California and Aetna Health of California to continue offering child-only health insurance policies, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Background
Insurers say they are being forced to terminate the child-only plans because new consumer protections under the federal health reform law require them to provide coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. They say the new protections could lead parents to wait until their child is sick before obtaining coverage, thus driving up costs.
However, insurers recently said they are willing to work with HHS to find solutions on issues related to child-only coverage. Â
Letter Details
In the letter, House members said as many as 100,000 California children rely on child-only health plans because they do not qualify for public assistance and lack coverage through their parents' insurance policies.
By ending child-only coverage, the insurers "reinforce a public perception that some health insurance companies are more interested in denying than providing coverage," the representatives wrote (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 9/30).
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