Life with a child with a disability is never dull. There is always something happening, whether it be a meltdown, a breakthrough, or advocating for your child. This past week has me advocating for my daughter.
With the events of this week, I find myself wading into waters that I am not only unfamiliar with, but also makes me cringe. It has also been an eye-opener as well. What I am finding is that in the insurance industry, there is a lack of education regarding those with disabilities, and in particular, certain types of disabilities. I have to question how long ago policies were written about which type of disabilities are insured and which are not. I am finding that, like most things, there is room for improvement.
To update, I recently changed financial advisors for my investments. Great - worked out really well. This advisor also suggested that I move my current life insurance from where it was to his company, as he could get me a considerably better rate. Awesome, I thought - I'm all for getting a better rate (I think insurance companies, be it auto or life, charge way too much anyway) and I proceeded to make the change. I am now finding out what a bad move this is turning out to be.
This insurance company just informed me that they will insure myself and my son - no questions asked, even though I have asthma, which can potentially be a life-threatening condition. They flat out refused to insure my daughter because she has Aspergers. No request for medical records, nothing. Just flat out refused, even though her condition is not life-threatening or high risk. They also denied coverage for her dad, which is understandable, because he has a heart condition. However, interestingly enough, in his description, it was noted that if he has another EKG they will reconsider their decision. There was no such note in my daughter's description. Now, her dad's condition is very much life-threatening and we totally understand the reasoning behind his denial of insurance. But we are totally stumped at hers. Their description said "due to medical history", which they don't have and never asked for.
When I called them and asked for an explanation, their only reply was "there are varying degrees of Aspergers", which right away, told me they did not have a clue about my daughter's disorder. In fact, Aspergers is part of an Autism Spectrum Disorder and is one of the most high-functioning "degrees" of an ASD. There are not varying degrees of Aspergers. Aspergers is of itself an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Now I find myself in the midst of a fight with this current insurance company, but also trying to find an insurance company who will treat my daughter with the dignity she deserves. The scary and sad reality is, there are not many companies out there, something which I am looking to change. No one deserves to be discriminated against based on a medical diagnosis. This is never OK. I believe also that if the insurance industry is not willing to entertain changes to their policies, then the Insurance Bureau, or the governmental entity needs to consider have a separate company specifically for those with disabilities. Either way, something needs to change and fast.
I would say to anyone who is refused any kind of service or anything because of a disability, don't accept "no". Continue to fight - it's the only way changes will happen.
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