Often, a health insurance quote is very vague in the terminology and the desired benefits may be excluded or limited. Admittedly, child health care insurance is considerably less expensive than adult insurance coverage, but more often than not there are consequential exclusions and limitations than translate into significant financial considerations. For example, there can be unexpected and exorbitant health care costs. This, in effect, means that the health insurance dollar did not purchase very much in comparison to the extraneous costs that are or could be incurred. Therefore, consumers need to be constrained by the old sage adage, "look before you leap," or in this case, check the exclusions before writing the check, which will proverbially be "insufficient." The health insurance quote demands an investigation, inquiry, and should ensure that the benefits will adequately protect and cover the beneficiary. Furthermore, the cost should be commensurate with the coverage, as there are two common exclusions in a child's health care or health insurance quote.

Diagnostic tests such as MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, and nerve conduction tests are very expensive and can add thousands of dollars to an emergency room visit or primary care physician's visit. Many parents simply sign on the dotted line after the placement of the cast on the broken extremity. They do not give their signature a second thought, after all, they have comprehensive child healthcare insurance coverage, and the premiums are paid up to date. They are inevitably astonished when they receive a bill for several thousand dollars a few weeks later for a diagnostic scan that is excluded from the child healthcare insurance coverage. As they failed to read the fine print on the policy, they are ultimately responsible. Many child health insurance quotes have exclusions for diagnostics that, if needed, can virtually destroy the family's financial budget.

Another overlooked but normal exclusion in a children's healthcare quote is the limitations on outpatient visits and inpatient days of coverage. If a child has a critical illness or a chronic condition such as asthma, the normal 12-60 visits can be exhausted in three months or less. Additionally, a child healthcare issue such as leukemia or a brain injury can very easily exceed the normal 20-60 day limit that is consistent with most child healthcare insurance policies. The responsible parent can be left with a bill for fifty thousand dollars or more especially if there are serial hospital admissions or an extended hospital stay. Therefore, consumers should carefully review the health insurance quote to ensure that there are not any exclusions or limitations that could result in a financial catastrophe.