Nebraska State Senator George Dungan of Lincoln introduced a bill during a Tuesday legislative hearing that would require all health benefit plans in Nebraska to cover the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders beginning in 2027.
“This coverage must include medical, psychological, and pharmaceutical care, nutritional counseling by a licensed professional, and services at all treatment levels, such as inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient care,” Dungan says.
He also says coverage cannot be denied based on a person’s weight, body mass index, physical appearance, or whether they have previously failed a less intensive level of care. The bill also clarifies that health benefit plans do not include certain limited insurance policies like accident-only or long-term care.
Under LB 780, insurers are also prohibited from imposing stricter limitations on eating disorder benefits than on medical and surgical benefits, and any utilization review or medical necessity determination for eating disorders must be performed by a provider with specialized expertise in the field.
The Department of Insurance would be empowered to create rules and regulations to implement these provisions.