NEDA TOOLKIT for Parents
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) A federal law enacted in 1996 with a number
of provisions intended to ensure certain consumer
health insurance protections for working Americans
and their families and standards for electronic
health information and protect privacy of
individuals’ health information. HIPAA applies to
three types of health insurance coverage: group
health plans, individual health insurance, and
comparable coverage through a high-risk pool.
HIPAA may lower a person’s chance of losing
existing coverage, ease the ability to switch health
plans, and/or help a person buy coverage on his/her
own if a person loses employer coverage and has no
other coverage available.
Hypoglycemia An abnormally low concentration of
glucose in the blood.
Health Insurance Reform for Consumers Federal law
has provided to consumers some valuable–though
limited–protections when obtaining, changing, or
continuing health insurance. Understanding these
protections, as well as laws in the state in which one
resides, can help with making more informed
choices when work situations change or when
changing health coverage or accessing care. Three
important federal laws that can affect coverage and
access to care for people with eating disorders are
listed below. More information is available at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HealthInsReformforConsum e/01_Overview.asp#TopOfPage
Independent Living Services Services for a person
with a medical or mental health-related problem
who is living on his/ her own. Services include
therapeutic group homes, supervised apartment
living, monitoring the person’s compliance with
prescribed mental and medical treatment plans, and
job placement.
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act of 1985 (COBRA)
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996 (HIPAA);
Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA).
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) A health
plan that employs or contracts with primary care
physicians to write referrals for all care that covered
patients obtain from specialists in a network of
healthcare providers with whom the HMO contracts.
The patient’s choice of treatment providers is usually
limited. Hematemesis The vomiting of blood.
Hypno-behavioral Therapy A type of behavioral
therapy that uses a combination of behavioral
techniques such as self-monitoring to change
maladaptive eating disorders and hypnotic
techniques intended to reinforce and encourage
behavior change.
In-network benefits Health insurance benefits that a
beneficiary is entitled to receive from a designated
group (network) of healthcare providers. The
“network” is established by the health insurer that
contracts with certain providers to provide care for
beneficiaries within that network.
Indemnity Insurance A health insurance plan that
reimburses the member or healthcare provider on a
fee-for-service basis, usually at a rate lower than the
actual charges for services rendered, and often after
a deductible has been satisfied by the insured.
Intake Screening An interview conducted by health
service providers when a patient is admitted to a
hospital or treatment program.
International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) The
World Health Organization lists international
standards used to diagnose and classify diseases.
The listing is used by the healthcare system so
clinicians can assign an ICD code to submit claims to
insurers for reimbursement for services for treating
various medical and mental health conditions in
patients. The code is periodically updated to reflect
changes in classifications of disease or to add new
disorders. Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) IPT (also called
interpersonal psychotherapy) is designed to help
people identify and address their interpersonal
problems, specifically those involving grief,
interpersonal role conflicts, role transitions, and
interpersonal deficits. In this therapy, no emphasis is
placed directly on modifying eating habits. Instead,
the expectation is that the therapy will enable
people to change as their interpersonal functioning
improves. IPT usually involves 16 to 20 hour-long,
one-on-one treatment sessions over a period of 4 to
5 months.
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