Paying for Weight Loss Camps

Weight loss camps as tax-deductible medication expense
If you itemize your income tax deductions and your medical expenses exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, summer weight loss camp may be tax deductible for "medically valid" reasons. You must obtain the weight loss camp's tax ID number.

Insurance Coverage of Weight Loss Camps

Because most insurance companies do not define obesity itself as an illness, they will reimburse for treatment of obesity only when it causes such ailments as diabetes, high blood pressure or joint disease. For health plans that do consider obesity an illness, there is limited coverage for treatment.

Although not quite moving it to "disease" status, Medicare recently took obesity out of the "NOT an illness" category. For those covered under private insurance, it is a step closer to covering obesity treatment, including weight loss camp.

Obesity Treatment May Be Provided by Your Health Plan

Elliot Spitzer, Attorney General of New York, explains your rights for health insurance coverage for obesity treatment on the website www.oag.state.ny.us/home.html. He encourages consumer to:

• Request your health plan's coverage guidelines for obesity treatment.

• Keep detailed and accurate health records, including BMI, weight history, any other health conditions you have, a letter of medical necessity from your primary care physician as well as any records from specialists.

• Keep detailed records of correspondence, including names of health plan representatives; times of calls; substance of conversations; and copies of papers, letters and other documents relating to your request for authorization.

• Appeal denials; perseverance is important