Why would a health insurance company refuse to cover an adopted child because of his previous health problems?

It is certainly isn’t fair to that child but it is also unfair to the step parents who promised to take care of that child and raise him up as their own.

That’s why the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 made sure that group health insurance companies doesn’t exclude newly adopted children with previous medical conditions  from coverage. The law includes a “portability provision” meaning that in case if you change jobs and enroll in a new group insurance plan, then in this case the new insurance company must cover your adoptive child.

Make sure your child gets enough treatment which has to be covered under your policy. It is a good idea to check with your health insurance provider constantly to make sure everything is all right since it the provider might not cover the treatment even for your naturally born children. Therefore, an adoptive child will be most certainly excluded from coverage of his treatment.

Within the first 30 days of the child’s adoption, you need to make sure that he is added to your health insurance plan. And there is a high risk that an adoptive child will be denied in coverage.

In case your child gets sick again, you can inform your employer’s human resources department to check if you can get any help. In case any hospitalization of your child occurs, it is recommended not to wait a second and call right away to ensure that all medical claims are paid.

An adoptive parent should know that if they decided to adopt a child with health problems, they should visit a doctor for regular checkups especially while a child is growing. Single mothers who wanted to adopt children also have many responsibilities ahead of them. It is a huge responsibility for a mother to take care and raise a child as her own. That’s why she needs to make sure that a child is under constant medical coverage and under medical supervision. Otherwise, the conditions of that child may aggravate and intensify. In that case, the mother/father will need to hospitalize that adoptive child. In this case, there is a very high risk that she would be denied by insurance companies to help with her problems.

HIPAA forbids any sort of discrimination against adopted children to governmental employers and insurers.

The National Center for Adoption Law and Policy make serious attempts to improve the law, policies, and practices associated with child protection and adoption systems. 

This is something that most couples do not think about when they are considering adoption, but it is a valid concern.
You need to have some kind of insurance to make sure that you can properly take care of your adopted child because you do not know what health problems might worsen over time.
Check with your health insurance company to see what their policy requires on insuring adoptive children before you bring them home. You will know in advance whether you need to find a new insurance carrier or if the child will be covered by your existing insurance.