House Bill 1509 Summary

• Health carriers and health benefit plans in Missouri must provide coverage for diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders for plans delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2013

• Plans cannot deny coverage for eating disorder treatment, including residential treatment, if medically necessary according to American Psychiatric Association guidelines

• Coverage must include psychiatric and medical treatment, nutrition counseling, physical therapy, dietician services, and medical and psychiatric monitoring as prescribed by healthcare professionals

• Plans cannot deny eligibility, penalize providers, or offer incentives to discourage eating disorder treatment; individuals cannot be denied coverage renewal solely due to prior eating disorder diagnosis or treatment

• Eating disorder coverage cannot have higher deductibles or co-payments than other health care services and does not apply to supplemental insurance policies