Pennsylvania health insurance company offers special coverage for obese children

Jill Overmyer

In America, it's not just adults are obese; a growing number of children also are carrying excessive weight.

A recent study by Thomson Medstat estimates 16 percent of children in the United States have a body mass index (BMI) of over 30, placing them at a higher risk for developing Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, heart disease, bone and joint disorders and high blood pressure, even in their youth.

Poor health means higher costs for health insurance companies -- which can be an incentive to provide more benefits to children before they head down an unhealthy (and expensive) path.

Highmark childhood obesity benefit

Highmark, an insurance company in Pennsylvania, has teamed up with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to provide additional health benefits for children ages 3 to 18 with BMIs higher than 85 percent of other children. The program offers preventive care to children in Pennsylvania, where 39 percent of children are overweight.

As of Jan. 1, 2011, eligible children in Pennsylvania automatically will be enrolled in the program. The benefit plan includes four visits with a dietitian and at least four follow-up visits with the child's physician. This not only will help doctors work closely with parents to help their children reach healthy weights, but it will offer education to both parents and children on developing and maintaining healthy eating habits.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation hopes to provide the same health insurance benefit to more than 6 million American children by 2012.

The costs of childhood obesity

Obesity can result in astronomical health care costs throughout life. Research institute RTI International estimates obesity is responsible for $147 billion annually in U.S. medical costs. Health care for overweight children costs roughly $14 billion a year, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic public health organization.

Children who are seen for obesity and obesity-related illnesses are nearly three times more expensive for health care systems and health insurance companies to treat than are children with healthy weights, according to Thomson Medstat. Childhood obesity not only affects physical health, but mental health as well. Overweight and obese children are more likely to suffer from depression and other mental health disorders, adding to the growing costs of childhood obesity.