This year, National Eating Disorder Awareness Week began on Feb. 24, and will continue until March 1.

The New York Office of Mental Health website describes an eating disorder as, “complex mental health problems that often have physical manifestations.” 

The disorders anorexia nervosa, restricting food intake, and bulimia nervosa, the purging of food, are the most common. 

Eating disorders have the potential to cause cardiac problems, low blood pressure, thinning of bones and weight loss. 

The Office of Mental Health website said, “The long-term mortality for people with severe anorexia nervosa may be over 10%.” 

If left untreated people can develop infertility, bone breakage, die or commit suicide. 

Treatment is important and can be on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Therapy is also key in combating the illness. Prescription medication can also be part of the process. Antidepressants have been used in some cases to combat the illness, but lack of access to medication and proper care leaves several patients untreated, according the National Eat Disorder Association’s website.

Insurance coverage is difficult to acquire for many people suffering with an eating disorder. Some companies do not cover behavioral or psychiatric health, problems such as an eating disorder falls under those categories of healthcare and can lead to physical health problems. 

NEDA said the common reasons insurance companies reject eating disorder patients are weight. 

“Typically, that it’s not low enough,” or “no medical complications,” for example not showing any physical signs or internal damage to the body. Companies can also drop coverage if patients are “not restoring weight or show a lack of motivation,” according to the NEDA. 

Insurance companies can also halt coverage if the patient shows a beneficial change, which can cause problems as people can relapse or need constant help to maintain a healthy lifestyle, so cutting off coverage when a patient improves may not be enough.

New York Senator Alessandra Biaggi of the 34th District realized the discrepancies in the healthcare and insurance system in regards to eating disorders. She is the main sponsor of the New York Senate Bill S3101, relating to the coverage of eating disorders. The bill is intended to close, “A gap in coverage by requiring insurance companies to provide full coverage for all aspects of eating disorder treatments.” The bill was introduced in early 2019 and has been passed by the Assembly and Senate with no opposition, but has not been sent to the governor yet, for undisclosed reasons.

One of the 17 co-sponsors of the bill is Senator Jamaal Bailey of the 36th District. Bailey said there is a “great portion of our society,” dealing with eating disorders and it is a “medical condition.” Although Bailey said he does not know “the ins-and-outs of the bill,” he said everyone should “deserve to get treatment.” 

When asked why the bill has not been sent to the governor and why the process has been prolonged, Bailey said he is “not certain yet,” and that he is not in the position to speculate. Regardless of where the bill is at the moment, Bailey believes the bill, “is the right thing to do, especially for young people who are scared and don’t know what to do,” and suffering with an eating disorder.       

This bill would benefit thousands of men and women suffering. According to New York State Department of Health’s website, “An estimated 5 to 10 million women and 1 million men in the United States suffer from eating disorders.”

One particular case shows the benefits of having insurance cover the expenses. Lauren MacTaggart, 17, suffers from anorexia nervosa, said she “was one of the lucky ones,” because her hospitalization and outpatient programs were covered by her insurance. She said she is lucky to be covered because she “met lots of people that suddenly just stopped going [to programs].” She said this was because insurance companies would drop those patients, leaving them unable to get treatment. 

MacTaggart said it took weeks to find facilities that would be covered by her insurance. “Before going to residential treatment I had to wait due to finding a program that took my insurance,” she said. This meant she lost useful time to recover, waiting to be treated.

“This bill would be beneficial to people who cannot afford treatment but need it not only for their physical health, but mental too,” MacTaggart said.

Graphic by Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian