Horizon to Cover Eating Disorder Patients!!
Horizon to cover eating-disorder patients
A federal judge has approved a class-action settlement requiring New Jersey's largest health-insurance provider to cover claims for treatment of eating disorders.
The settlement calls for Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey to pay $1.2 million to about 500 patients whose payments for anorexia and bulimia treatments were denied, said Bruce Nagel, an attorney for the plaintiffs.
The agreement was approved Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Faith Hochberg. It requires Horizon Blue Cross to classify eating disorders as a biologically based mental illness, compelling the company to cover eating disorders in the same way it covers physical illnesses.
"It's huge," said Harriet Brown, a member of the Academy for Eating Disorders and an assistant professor at Syracuse University. "This is closing one of the loopholes that prevent people from getting treatment."
A spokesman for Horizon Blue Cross declined to comment.
The suit was filed in 2006 by parents of children with eating disorders. Ronald Drazin, of Fair Haven, was among the original plaintiffs and heralded the settlement yesterday.
"For parents, it means their kids can get treated and not be thrown out of hospitals or resident treatment facilities," said Drazin, whose daughter, now 18, was denied converge for treatment of anorexia.
Horizon also agreed to pay $2.45 million in legal fees, Nagel said.
In 2006, a woman from Wayne sued Horizon after her daughter was denied coverage for anorexia, drawing widespread support from eating disorder experts. The women, Dawn Beye, has since joined the class-action suit settled this week.
Last year, Hochberg approved a settlement in a similar case against Aetna.
Joe Ryan may be reached at jryan@starledger.com or (973) 622-3405.
posted by The F.R.E.E.D. Foundation @ 3:25 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Ok so cognitive behavior therapy definitely is one of the top therapies to use for eating disorders. As you have mentioned and I would like to highlight, not all therapists are trained to the extent to follow through with CBT effectively. It is therefore important to understand CBT yourself to determine whether or not the therapist you chose is capable of providing you with the necessary support to effectively use CBT and fight against the symptoms of your eating disorder. I have used a few therapists, some better than others, so now I am quite careful. I used some of the work that Dr. Prout has published to give me the necessary insight into cognitive behavior therapy. This gave me the confidence to seek out the right therapist and also support my own therapy. I recommend you visit his website for a full reference into his work on CBT, at http://www.mauriceprout.com
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