If you have struggled with an eating disorder or care about someone who has, you know that the cost of treatment is often one of the biggest obstacles to recovery. We've talked to families who have gone into debt, taken out second mortgages on their homes, and made countless other sacrifices to pay for treatment because their insurance companies won't.
This week, Aetna agreed to expand its coverage of anorexia and bulimia (which had previously been limited to 20 outpatient visits a year and 30 days of inpatient treatment) and pay $250,000 in reimbursements to a group of New Jersey families who were previously denied. The settlement was the result of a class action lawsuit. It still needs to be approved by a judge and could face opposition. We'll keep you updated on the story, but for now we are celebrating this as a victory. [WSJ Law Blog]
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2 comments:
Excellent! While I no longer have Aetna, it was my insurance during the worst of my eating disorder.
In order for them to cover inpatient treatment, I would have had to spend my entire stay on a locked unit when the normal procedure at the treatment center was to transition after a few days to the unlocked, residential part of the facility. As a result, I dropped out after 3 days because the prospect of spending 30+ days on a locked unit was intolerable.
Anything we can do to help spread science-based information on this disease is a good thing.
The illness is hard enough - getting care shouldn't be!
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