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Congressional Briefing
July 15, 2003
U.S. Capitol
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Eating
Disorders Treatments: Rarely Covered Health Care
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Congressional Briefing on Eating Disorder
Treatments: (l. to r.) Jeanine Cogan, Chris Johnson, Rep. Patrick
Kennedy (D-RI), William Davis, Raine Weiner-Hollies, and James
Sinclair.
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Press Release
(Washington, D.C.) - A U.S. Congressman, legislative aides, health
professionals, and consumers met in the U.S. Capitol July 15 to learn more
about access to care for eating disorders treatment. The congressional
briefing, "Eating
Disorders Treatments: Rarely Covered Health Care," was sponsored by the
Eating Disorders Coalition, Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and Rep. Patrick
Kennedy (D-RI).
The briefing offered national policymakers the opportunity to learn
about effective treatment methods in residential centers, hospitals, and
in private practice. The briefing also included a personal perspective
from a husband who's wife recently died of complications from Anorexia
Nervosa.
Rep. Patrick Kennedy addressed the crowd in the packed briefing room at
the Capitol. He described the difficulties and frustrations his family has
had finding qualified physicians and counselors over the years, and why
mental health parity is a passion.
Kennedy spoke about how finding qualified professionals is often
difficult, even for savvy, well-connected health care consumers. He was
particularly focused on the importance of better medical training for
primary care physicians who could identify eating disorders and get
patients into the most effective treatment programs as soon as possible.
Dr. Chris Johnson, medical director of the Eating Disorders Institute
in Minneapolis, talked about effective therapies in a hospital setting and
about some of the barriers presented by current health care reimbursement
practices. Dr. Bill Davis, vice president of The Renfrew Center, spoke
about residential treatment and research and various levels of care. Dr. Raine
Weiner-Hollies, a clinical psychologist in private practice, described how
her time is spent in endless discussions with managed care companies.
One of the
most difficult challenges for people with eating disorders, their
families, and providers is ensuring health insurance reimbursement for
appropriate and long-term treatment. The briefing speakers outlined their
struggle to provide needed and appropriate care for their patients within
a health care system that fights them tooth and nail. Dr. Raine
Weiner-Hollies gave a wrenching example, describing a client who almost
died after her health insurance company twice refused to authorize
hospitalization for her despite the fact that she was deathly thin and
suicidal. (For more on this terrible story, read,
Dr. Weiner-Hollies speech.)
These insurance
practices and the lack of coverage contributes to the high mortality rate
associated with eating disorders. In fact anorexia has the highest
mortality rate of any mental disorder, upwards of 20%.
Marc Lerro, executive director of the EDC said, "We tried to get
representatives of the health insurance industry on the panel, but they
declined to send a representative for this forum. We want to expand this
discussion, and we want them at the table."
Earlier this year, Rep. Ramstad toured the Anna Westin House, an eating
disorders treatment center in his district. Accompanying him was briefing
panelist Chris Johnson. Ramstad is a cosponsor of the
Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act
(H.R. 953),
introduced by Rep. Kennedy on February 27, 2003.
The EDC used the July 15 event as an
opportunity to personally deliver briefing invitations and EDC policy
recommendations to Capitol Hill offices of each U.S. Senator, and U.S.
Representative. EDC volunteers also delivered materials to the five
non-voting delegates in the House of Representatives (representing
U.S. citizens in American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto
Rico, and the Virgin Islands).
This is the second of three congressional
briefings on eating disorders planned for 2003.
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Congressional Briefing Program
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Welcome by EDC
Executive Director Marc Lerro
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An Introduction to Eating Disorders by EDC Policy
Director Jeanine Cogan
Featured Speakers
(click on titles to read text).
We thank Representative Jim Ramstad (R-MN)
and Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) for hosting this briefing.
This
briefing is made possible by the generous support of the Eating Disorders
Institute, Park Nicollet Health Services, St. Louis Park, Minn. (Click
here to visit the Eating Disorders Institute.)
Additional financial support was donated by EDC Board
Member Mary Gee in memory of her mother, Wai-Kwan Ho Gee.
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