Insurance Coverage for Anorexia Treatment & Eating Disorders

Anorexia treatment can be expensive. For example, outpatient care can cost more than $100,000. Inpatient treatment can cost much more. Most insurance plans cover medical treatments, including nutritional support, and plans may also cover counseling services. But the coverage limits can vary dramatically from one plan to another. You can learn more about insurance options to find out more.
What Is Anorexia?
Anorexia is a disorder that affects the body and a person’s overall health by distorting one’s sense of self-image. It inflicts sufferers with a compulsive desire to lose weight and, often, a total aversion to food, as well.
Around 8 million Americans suffer from eating disorders like anorexia.1 It affects people from all walks of life, but it is more common in women. The Office of Women’s Health notes 85-95 percent of all people battling anorexia are female.2 In addition, the disorder affects a large proportion of teenagers and young adults.
Red flags that signal the possibility of anorexia include:
- Emaciation
- Overwhelming fear of weight gain
- Menstrual irregularities or absence
- Hair loss
- Excessive exercising
- Persistent dieting
- Caloric intake restriction or total refusal to eat anything
Treating anorexia is an ongoing process, and it can take several years for individuals to really feel stable in their recovery. Getting help is essential for both short-term and long-term health. Without treatment, anorexia only worsens.
The Eating Disorders Coalition reports outpatient treatment for anorexia can cost more than $100,000. Most insurance plans cover counseling services, such as individual and family therapy, which are crucial to overcoming the disorder. Treatment for anorexia also often warrants the need for weight gain programs in which clients have supervised diets that will help them to put on weight. Caloric intake is monitored, as is behavior to make sure individuals don’t try to hide, throw away, or purge food.
When Addiction Contributes to Anorexia
Many who live with anorexia will attempt to control their hunger pangs with appetite suppressants, some of which are addictive.
Often, these individuals resort to stimulants as a way of dampening their appetite and speeding up their heart rate and metabolism. Popular drugs of abuse include cocaine and prescription drugs like Adderall, Concerta, and Ritalin.
Sources
- American Psychological Association. (2001). Eating disorders on the rise.
- Department of Health and Human Services (2009). Anorexia Nervosa.
- National Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders (2020). Eating Disorder Statistics.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2011). Clients with Substance Use and Eating Disorders.
- Medicaid. (2020). State Health System Performance.
Rehabs That May Accept This Insurance
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find information on other insurance providers?
Use the mini sitemap below to read more about other insurance providers
Anthem Health Insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Bulimia, First Health, Sierra Health and Life Insurance, AmeriHealth, AvMed Insurance, Carelon Behavioral Health (formerly Beacon), Cigna, ConnectiCare, EmblemHealth, Harvard Pilgrim, Health Plan of Nevada, Magellan, MagnaCare, Meritain, Oxford, QualCare, UPMC, Behavioral Healthcare Options (BHO), Humana Health, Kaiser Permanente, Kemper Direct, Providence Health Plan, Rocky Mountain HMO, State Farm, TRICARE Health Insurance, Tufts Health Plan, United Healthcare, Medicaid, Sunset of Veterans Choice Program, Zelis
What substance addiction does health insurance coverage include?
Health insurance providers typically cover rehab treatment for most types of substance addiction; including alcohol, suboxone, heroin, cocaine and meth and rehab for drug addiction.