Affordable Residential Treatment for Eating Disorders

Eating disorders, a very serious mental illness that compromises physical health, can affect men and women at any age. If the eating disorder progresses to a point where it interferes with your daily life and/or health, it is important to seek help. Residential treatment is important for anyone with a serious eating disorder, however, it can be expensive. There are a few ways to reduce this expense, however.

Talk With Your Insurance Company

• Insurance is the most important aspect of funding residential treatment. Out of pocket, many treatment centers can cost upward of $100,000 a month. Call your insurance provider and ask them how much they will pay for and how much you will be responsible for. Most have a list of treatment centers they are willing to work with. Your insurance will most likely not cover every treatment center, so it is important to find out which ones they will and which ones they won't.

Work With the Residential Treatment Program

• Some programs, like A Center For Hope (see References for link), offer to work with the clients to help them pay for services. Many will offer payment plans to help you spread your payments out over time, to make treatment more affordable.

Look Into Alternatives

• If you cannot afford a full residential treatment program, ask about a "day treatment" program. You will most likely take two or three meals and a snack at the center in addition to therapy, both group and individual. You will be responsible for your behavior at home, however, but you could stay with a friend or family member during that time so that they may hold you accountable for your behavior.

Speak With an Attorney

• If your insurance company rejects a claim for residential treatment, despite it being under doctor's orders, it isn't unheard of to speak with an attorney. You may be able to force your insurance company to pay for at least part of your treatment, with a little bit of legal help.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

• Something-Fishy.org, a comprehensive website dedicated to eating disorder recovery, provides an article on payment options as well as a list of clinics that offer scholarships, partial scholarships and financial aid to those who qualify. Some of these clinics are Mercy Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee (MercyMinistries.org), Milestones Recovery in Cooper City, Florida (milestonesinrecovery.org), and Be Totally Free in Los Angeles (healyourhunger.com). See something-fishy.org's link in References for more information.