Driberally tonight

Drinking Liberally is a weekly social gathering where progressives talk politics and get to know one another. In Center City Philadelphia, we meet on Tuesday nights at Triumph Brewery's upstairs bar, where there are drink and food specials from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. I hope to see you there!

Triumph Brewery is at 117 Chestnut Street in Old City. It's conveniently SEPTA-accessible via the Market-Frankford El (2nd Street station), all the buses that turn around at or near Penn's Landing (5, 12, 17, 21, 33, 42, 48), and a few other buses that pass nearby (9, 25, 38, 40, 44, 47, 57, 61).

This week's topic: Recently in Colorado, a health insurance company denied coverage to an otherwise very healthy 4-month-old baby who was in the 99th percentile for his weight, explaining that they won't cover babies who weigh more than the 95th percentile. (Note that breast-fed babies, like the one in question here, often get fat so quickly that their weight measurements go off the charts, because the charts are based on growth curves for formula-fed babies, who don't gain weight as quickly.) Facing the negative PR that comes from insisting that the parents starve their baby down to a "healthier" weight, and a pediatrician who apparently explained to them that BMI is not a valid indicator for gauging infant health, the insurer has since reversed itself and has decided to cover this gorgeous, obviously thriving child and other "fat" babies (PDF). But it makes me want to ask: What's your pre-existing condition?

"Come for the beer, stay for the check"