Too late for some: 10 day old denied health coverage for “pre-existing condition”

If you’re one of the people angrily throwing rocks through the windows of Congressmen or sending nastygrams to local politicians over healthcare reform legislation, you should probably consider the case of Fort Worth area newborn Houston Tracy.

Little Houston suffers from a rare congenital heart condition, his father Doug explains:

“He was born with what’s called transposition of the great arteries.” his father, Doug Tracy said. “It’s heart wrenching; I hated it.”

The congenital heart defect causes the two major vessels that carry blood away from the heart to become switched.

It’s a condition rarely detected before birth.

While being born with a challenging condition is tough enough for any new baby, the Tracy family has more than that on their proverbial plate since Houston’s birth. Blue Cross Blue shield denied the baby coverage based on his “pre-existing condition.” Then, they presumably retired to their massive mansions to swim in pools filled with money thanks to such decisions.

Doug Tracy describes the frustration of simultaneously trying to deal with a gravely ill child and fight unfair insurance clauses:

“They kept saying it’s preexisting, it’s preexisting, but I don’t know how it can be preexisting on a baby that was just born.” his father said. “If it’s mandated that everyone have health insurance, than how can one be denied?

Representatives for BCBS declined to comment on the Tracy’s plight, but did comment on the new laws in relation to such cases:

“We will work closely with our customers to keep them informed of any changes that may result from the new law,” said Margaret Jarvis, the company’s Senior Manager of Media Relations. “We will continue to review the bill’s requirements on our business and their respective time frames to ensure full compliance.”

As you may already be personally aware, lack of insurance often leads to lack of diagnostic testing, even in children. A fund has been set up for Houston Tracy, and if you’re interested, you can read about donating here.