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What Resources Are Available to Help Me Cover The Cost of Eating Disorder Treatment?
Contributor: Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC, Director of Content and Social Media at Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope
The cost of eating disorder treatment can be incredibly overwhelming, especially without adequate health coverage. Even with health insurance, many individuals may find that they are still needing to pay out of pocket in order to cover the cost of treatment needed for eating disorder recovery.
Whether treatment is sought at the residential level of care, outpatient care or anything in between, the price associated with treatment can cause may be needing individuals to question whether this is something they can realistically afford.
The Necessity of Professional Treatment
Because eating disorders are complex psychiatric illnesses, professional and comprehensive treatment is an absolute necessity for full recovery and healing. The consequences of eating disorders can be debilitating and potentially fatal, and prolonging the time before seeking out treatment will only increase severity. Eating disorders in their most acute forms often require more intense forms of treatment and intervention, which is typically seen at the inpatient and/or residential phase. The cost of treatment at this level can average around $80,000 for the length of stay, which is easily beyond the reach for many individuals who are needing this type of treatment.
How is it possible to reconcile the cost of treatment with the need for professional care with skyrocketing fees and lack of resources? Fortunately, there are resources available that are working to help support individuals financially in order to make treatment a possibility.
Organizations and Resources
Several organizations exist for the purpose of funding treatment for individuals with eating disorders. Check out the following resources and how these organizations are serving the eating disorder community:
- Project Heal: Project Heal is a non-profit organization that fundraises to provide grants to individuals who cannot otherwise afford eating disorder treatment. Project HEAL also works to raise awareness for eating disorders and promote recovery.
- The Kirsten Haglund Foundation: The mission of the Kirsten Haglund Foundation (KHF) is to provide hope, networking and financial aid to those seeking treatment and freedom from eating disorders.
- Manna Scholarship Fund: The Manna Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing hope and financial assistance to individuals who need treatment for eating disorders.
- Moonshadow’s Spirit: In honor of the memory of Jennifer Mathiason, this organization offers need-based financial assistance to individuals with eating disorders.
If you or a loved one have an eating disorder and are unable to connect to professional treatment for financial reasons, please consider reaching out to one of the above-mentioned organizations. You are not alone in this journey and are deserving of the help you need for recovery!
About the Author: Crystal is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves as the Special Projects Coordinator for Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope, where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.
As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work with EDH/AH and nutrition private practice.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on September 13, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com
