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Eating Disorder Parity

States can require private insurers to cover eating disorders—which overwhelmingly affect young women1—on the same basis as other health conditions. This treatment is particularly critical given that anorexia nervosa has one of the highest death rates of any mental disorder.2

Mental health and substance abuse services must be included in the "essential benefits package" covered by all new health plans sold to individuals and small businesses beginning in 2014.  These services must be covered at the same level as physical health services, though the mental health parity provisions do not require all mental illnesses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to be covered, meaning that health plans may be able to decide whether or not to cover specific conditions such as eating disorders.

Does the state require private insurers to cover treatment for eating disorders on the same basis as other mental health conditions?

States that require all health plans to cover anorexia and bulimia on the same basis as other mental health conditions receive a "meets policy." States that require eating disorder parity in a limited way (e.g., parity is only required in certain types of health plans, like state employee or group health plans) receive a "limited policy." Those states with no such laws or with parity laws that do not include coverage of anorexia and bulimia receive a "no policy."

State Strength of Policy Change from 2007
Alabama No Policy N/A
Alaska Limited Policy N/A
Arizona Limited Policy N/A
Arkansas Limited Policy N/A
California Meets Policy N/A
Colorado Limited Policy N/A
Connecticut Meets Policy N/A
Delaware Meets Policy N/A
District of Columbia No Policy N/A
Florida No Policy N/A
Georgia No Policy N/A
Hawaii No Policy N/A
Idaho No Policy N/A
Illinois Limited Policy N/A
Indiana No Policy N/A
Iowa No Policy N/A
Kansas No Policy N/A
Kentucky Limited Policy N/A
Louisiana No Policy N/A
Maine Limited Policy N/A
Maryland Meets Policy N/A
Massachusetts Meets Policy N/A
Michigan No Policy N/A
Minnesota Meets Policy N/A
Mississippi No Policy N/A
Missouri Limited Policy N/A
Montana No Policy N/A
Nebraska Limited Policy N/A
Nevada No Policy N/A
New Hampshire Limited Policy N/A
New Jersey Meets Policy N/A
New Mexico Limited Policy N/A
New York Limited Policy N/A
North Carolina Limited Policy N/A
North Dakota No Policy N/A
Ohio No Policy N/A
Oklahoma No Policy N/A
Oregon Limited Policy N/A
Pennsylvania No Policy N/A
Rhode Island Limited Policy N/A
South Carolina No Policy N/A
South Dakota No Policy N/A
Tennessee Limited Policy N/A
Texas No Policy N/A
Utah Limited Policy N/A
Vermont Meets Policy N/A
Virginia No Policy N/A
Washington Meets Policy N/A
West Virginia Meets Policy N/A
Wisconsin Limited Policy N/A
Wyoming No Policy N/A

Policy Indicator Counts
Meets Policy: 
10
Limited Policy: 
18
Weak Policy: 
0
No/Harmful Policy: 
23
Better: 
0
Same: 
0
Worse: 
0

Data Source:National Mental Health Association, "What Have States Done to Ensure Insurance Parity," unpublished data, Updated in July 2008 http://www.nmha.org/go/parity/states, accessed September 8, 2010; National Mental Health Association, "State Parity Laws," unpublished data, collected 2008-2010; NAMI "State Mental Health Parity Laws," updated in July 2009, available at http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Parity1&Template=/ContentManage..., accessed September 8, 2010.

Footnotes

1 National Institute of Mental Health, “Eating Disorders,” available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/complete-in..., accessed September 28, 2010.

2 Ibid.

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