NM steps up as insurers curb policies for sick kids

From the New Mexico Independent - by Trip Jennings - Four of the state’s major health insurers plan to limit the number of new insurance policies they write for children with preexisting conditions, prompting the state to take action earlier this month to ensure youngsters potentially affected won’t go without health coverage. New Mexico threw open the doors of its high-risk pool to youngsters upon learning that the insurers were, in effect, largely walking away from writing new child-only insurance policies. The nation’s new health care law prohibits insurers from denying coverage to children under 19 with preexisting conditions, but insurance companies fear that means families with sick kids could sign up for policies right before extremely expensive treatments, leaving them with no choice but to cover the sky-high bills. Read more

NM steps up as insurers curb policies for sick kids