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Healthcare
Advocacy
Effective awareness efforts emphasize educating healthcare policymakers about the prevalence of eating disorders, their increasing frequency, diversity, and expansion across all socioeconomic classes and ethnic populations, and their negative health effects. The Harris Center is involved in advocacy efforts at the national and state levels.
Eating Disorders Coalition
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Dr. Herzog Accepting EDC Award for Visionary Leadership, 2005 |
Our Center is a founding member of the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC). Through the EDC, we join forces with other professional and advocacy-based organizations to improve the lives of families and individuals suffering from eating disorders. Based in Washington D.C., the Coalition aims to raise national awareness of eating disorders and to promote federal support for improved access to care, parity and research. Now, nine years since its inception, the EDC has grown to 35 member-organizations and hosted two national policy conferences in Washington, D.C. EDC president 2007-2009, Kitty Westin, commends Dr. Herzog's continuous mentorship and encouragement. "Without Dr. Herzog, the EDC would never have been born. He was the organization's president for its first five years. His knowledge about eating disorders and his tireless efforts to advocate for the cause are inspiring."
Congressional Briefings
One of the EDC's roles is to educate Congress members about the need for legislation on behalf of eating disorders. To this end, the EDC hosts frequent Congressional Briefings. Attended by legislators and their aides, each briefing consists of a series of presentations organized around a specific theme, such as A Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders (April 2, 2009) or America the Beautiful: How America's Obsession with Beauty Contributes to Eating Disorders (September 10, 2008). Briefings offer personal accounts of recovery as well as facts and research about these illnesses.
Family & Friends Action Network
Founded in 2001, the Family & Friends Action Network is the internal advocacy arm of the Coalition. Individuals, families and friends who have been impacted by eating disorders assemble from across the country to promote legislation on behalf of eating disorders. Drawing on their personal experiences, these advocates play a vital role in educating policymakers on Capitol Hill about eating disorders. Members of the network include parents who have lost a child to an eating disorder, individuals in recovery, and those with active eating disorders, as well as professionals working in the field of eating disorders.
Update: October, 2009
The EDC is working very hard on two fronts: 1) to ensure that any health reform legislation passed by Congress will provide for the treatment of eating disorders, and 2) to promote the FREED Act (Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders), the first comprehensive eating disorder bill ever introduced to Congress. Developed with input from eating disorder experts across the country, and sponsored by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, FREED will:
- Establish Centers of Excellence to promote eating disorder research nationwide
- Expand professional training in the recognition, treatment and prevention of eating disorders
- Increase the public's understanding of eating disorders
- Require health insurers to cover eating disorders on par with medical-surgical illnesses
On September 23-24, 2009, the EDC hosted an energizing series of events. Over 70 advocates gathered on Capitol Hill from all parts of the country and visited a total of 45 Congressional offices, sharing their personal stories, describing FREED, and explaining why federal policies on eating disorders are needed. Also compelling was a Congressional Briefing at which a panel of distinguished speakers presented educational information about eating disorders and emphasized the importance of these disorders to the national healthcare agenda. Within a few weeks after these events, FREED garnered two new cosponsors, increasing its total number of cosponsors to 18. To keep the momentum going, the EDC will hold another advocacy program in the spring of 2010.
Eating Disorders and Mental Health Parity in Massachusetts
Historically, Massachusetts, among other states, provided far less insurance coverage for mental illnesses than for those illnesses deemed to be "physical." To address this discrepancy, the state legislature passed the MHPL (Massachusetts Mental Health Parity Law) in 2000, requiring insurance companies to treat severe mental illnesses on par with "physical" ailments. In order to be covered under the MHPL, a mental illness had to be deemed biologically-based. Although eating disorders are biologically-based, they were excluded from the list of serious mental illnesses to receive full parity. As a result, many insurance companies denied payment for eating disorder services.
Change has been gradual—but unmistakable. July 1, 2009 marked a major breakthrough as Chapter 256 of the Acts of 2008 went into effect, adding eating disorders (plus substance use disorders, autism, and post-traumatic stress disorder) to the list of “biologically-based” mental illnesses. Under this new statute, a fully-insured health plan must provide coverage for an eating disorder at the same level of benefit as it provides for medical conditions. A health plan cannot impose an arbitrary limit (such as 60 inpatient days or 24 outpatient visits) on treatment for an eating disorder unless there is also such a limit on the treatment of medical conditions. However, a health plan may still limit coverage to treatment that is "medically necessary." Click here
for more information about the new Massachusetts Mental Health Parity Law.
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Representative Kay Khan |
Chapter 256 of the Acts of 2008 is important, not only because it improves access to care for eating disorders but also because it helps set the stage for even stronger legislation.
For the last five years, the Harris Center has served as a consultant to Representative Kay Khan as she has initiated legislation on behalf of individuals with eating disorders. Rep. Khan's bill will curb the tendency of insurance companies to deny payment once a patient with an eating disorder becomes medically stable. This will ensure that patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and eating disorder not otherwise specified receive comprehensive coverage for treatment.
To promote Rep. Khan's legislation, David B. Herzog, M.D., has spoken at a number of state house hearings to educate policy makers about the severity of eating disorders and to emphasize why Rep. Khan’s bill is crucial to getting patients the care they need. Please stay tuned to our Web site for information about how you can help us support this bill, which is now awaiting a date for a hearing in the Committee on Financial Services.
Click to view:
The Biological Basis of Anorexia Nervosa
The Biological Basis of Bulimia Nervosa
The Biological Basis of Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)
Photo Credits
Dr. Herzog Accepting EDC Award: Eating Disorders Coalition
Kay Khan: Reprinted with Rep. Khan's permission.
This page was last updated on October 16, 2009.
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