Other Resources
Mental Health Parity Law. Mental
health parity refers to providing the same
insurance coverage for mental health treat-
ment as that offered for medical conditions.
This means that benefits for conditions such
as eating disorders must be the same as
benefits for other physical conditions. This
includes co-payments, deductibles, limits
on number of outpatient visits and limits on
hospital days. The National Mental Health
Association provides a list of states with
mental health parity on their website at
www.nmha.org.
Level of Care Guidelines. The Ameri-
can Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Level
of Care Guidelines, available at http://www.
psychiatryonline.com/popup.aspx?aID=139471,
offer clinicians guidelines for level of care
needed based on a variety of factors, includ-
ing percent of ideal body weight, medical sta-
tus and psychological state. These guidelines
can help you better understand the level of
care you or your loved one need.
Your medical insurance provider can be a valuable
partner in your path to eating disorder recovery
The key to building this partnership lies in doing your homework before you enter treatment.
This means gaining a thorough understanding of your insurance plan and choosing a facility
and course of treatment that best align with your benefit structure. By doing this important
research, you’ll minimize stress, avoid the unexpected, and maintain an upfront understanding
of your treatment throughout the recovery process. Eating Recovery Center recommends
taking the following two steps prior to beginning recovery in any treatment facility.
Understand your benefits
Today, most insurance providers cover mental health, though specific offerings and limitations
vary among insurance plans. To help choose an appropriate treatment facility and plan a
course of recovery with your treatment team, it’s important to gain a thorough understanding
of the specific benefits offered in your insurance plan. The insurance company’s customer
service department and