As few as one in 10 people with eating disorders receive appropriate treatment, according to data gathered by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. About 80 percent of the girls and women who have accessed care for their eating disorders do not get the intensity of treatment they need to stay in recovery - they are often sent home weeks earlier than the recommended stay. This is in part because of the cost.
Treatment of an eating disorder in the United States can range from $500 per day to $2,000 per day. The average cost for a month of inpatient treatment is $30,000. It is estimated that individuals with eating disorders may need anywhere from a week to six months of inpatient care. The cost of outpatient treatment, including therapy and medical monitoring, can extend to $100,000 or more.
Insurance policies' coverage varies from state to state, company to company, and even according to the individual contracts an insurer may have with an employer or with the insured. For individuals or families with no insurance, public funding - from Medicaid, Medicare, or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) - may be available for young people.
It may be that, as eating disorder treatment becomes more mainstream, coverage will expand. Legislative efforts continue to expand coverage for mental illnesses. A recently passed "mental health parity bill" moved that effort closer to reality, but until there's a nationwide policy, people must work within the state-by-state rules for public and private funding for treatment.
Families do have choices, including picking treatment formats that fit within the coverage available. Understanding how the system works can improve their chances of obtaining payment for services. It may be possible to have treatment paid for, so parents should try not to get discouraged.
Limitations and how to work with them. NEDA, like other advocacy groups for people with ED, suggests a plan for getting payment for treatment, whether from private insurance or community agencies. NEDA suggests anyone seeking insurance payment for eating disorders be prepared with the following information:
Families: If you have insurance, first study your policy to determine if there are mental-health benefits and if they include an amount for inpatient or residential treatment and an amount for outpatient treatment. Most policies also include major medical benefits, which may be easier to tap than the mental-health benefits. Ask your employer or call the company if it's not clear. Insurance companies will be required to provide mental health benefits on the same level as medical benefits, as a result of the passage of the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008.
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