Health Insurance Coverage for Weight Loss Camp

Weight-loss camps charge fees averaging $1,000 per week. These retreats represent an expensive proposition, given that campers typically stay four to eight weeks. Unfortunately, health insurance providers frequently exclude these services from their reimbursement policies.

Insurance Reimbursement

• When your insurance policy authorizes the reimbursement, you receive amounts between $1,500 and $2,000 per month, reports Wellspring Camps, an organization with a dozen weight-loss camps in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Acceptance Criteria

• Health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, do not pay for these programs, explains Camp Shane, a weight loss camp operational for 42 years in New York state. Preferred provider organizations, such as the Aetna PPO, may decide to reimburse only when physicians supervise the weight-loss program, and only for participants demonstrating that they failed to maintain a BMI below 27 or have medical conditions that mandate weight loss.

Tax Deduction

• The Internal Revenue Service recognizes obesity as a disease in its 202-19 IRS ruling, and accepts tax deduction for costs specifically associated with the medical services. Ask the weight-loss camp if it can detail the invoice, and be sure to consult a tax advisor.

Medical Flexible Spending Account

• If your employer offers a medical flexible spending account that gives employees the ability to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses with pre-tax dollars, you may use this account if the weight loss treatment addresses a specific medical condition and has been prescribed by a physician.