Treatment of Children's Deformities Act of 2005

The Treatment of Children's Deformities Act of 2005 (H.R. 1000) would require group health insurance plans to cover the diagnosis and treatment of a child’s congenital or developmental deformities, diseases, or injuries. Under this bill, insurance providers would be mandated to pay for reconstructive surgeries and follow-up care deemed medically necessary by a physician to help a child achieve a more normal appearance. While the bill covers procedures to correct abnormalities caused by birth defects, trauma, or infection, it specifically excludes purely cosmetic surgeries intended to reshape normal body structures for the sole purpose of improving self-esteem.