 (Image: Pink Sherbet Photography under CC 3.0) |
Over in North Carolina, health insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield recently increased its health insurance rates. While rate hikes are common nowadays, this one is especially far reaching: it even hits babies!
Case in point: a nine-month-old infant’s family health insurance premium jumped by 55% on January 1st. According to BCBS, the higher premium is justified because infants use more health care services than older children. Now, they are classified in a higher-risk insurance pool.
This situation is absurd! Some may argue that many people with pre-existing conditions facing a dearth of affordable health insurance options brought the situation on themselves; that they neglected their health and had bad habits. While that can certainly be debated, a baby less than a year old has no choice in or responsibility for his or her health. Plus, this particular infant didn’t even have any conditions that would cost more to cover!
