Rachel Silver, the founder of A Chance to Heal, saw first hand the discrimination of health insurance coverage when it came to treating her own struggle with an eating disorder.
At the age of 17, Rachel Silver became one of the millions of people afflicted with an eating disorder. But unlike so many of those who suffer from anorexia, bulimia or overeating, she was engaged in treatment very early in the onset of the disease, before it became irreversible and before she suffered any long-term physical damage such as permanent infertility, osteoporosis, heart or liver failure. Her care took place in highly competent facilities and without concern for the cost of care or the amount of insurance coverage available to her. Rachel was extremely fortunate to have the resources which enabled her to complete both inpatient and outpatient care. Had she not gone through extensive treatment, she might still be engaged in her eating disorder today, compromising my long-term opportunities, as so many of the patients who were in treatment with her currently are.
Through this experience, Rachel and her family learned about the need for full and complete care and - about the limitations set by insurance contracts that significantly slow the healing process. Health insurance over the last twenty years has drastically reduced the average stay for inpatient eating disorder treatment from the optimum of 7-10 weeks to as few as one week of inpatient care. Once inpatient care is terminated, outpatient care must take over. Recovery on an outpatient basis, however, requires frequent, consistent sessions with a psychotherapist and, ideally, with an entire therapeutic team including a Nutritionist, Psychiatrist, and Physician. Slowing treatment down due to lack of funds is likely to compromise the recovery progress and promote the disease process.
During treatment Rachel decided that she wanted to eliminate the barriers for receiving care. She wanted to change a system that keeps people who are suffering from healing. She set this idea as a goal to help guide her through recovery. Rachel recognized that others deserve to heal when there are no financial resources for them to do so, and recognized the need to advocate for changes in healthcare insurance and corporate understanding of the limitations of low coverage thresholds for serious mental illness. That is why Rachel, with her mother, Ivy Silver, have formed "A Chance to Heal" Foundation - an organization dedicated to assure access to care for individuals who are afflicted with eating disorders.
