Why It Matters to Work With a Nutritionist Who Accepts Insurance
NYC is known for some of the best healthcare services in the country, and with that can be expenses. Doctor’s visits, hospital stays and more can be hundreds of dollars. An out-of-network provider, including dietitians, can also be expensive. Even if your insurance provides out-of-network benefits, this may include meeting a high deductible or continuing to pay co-insurance after that deductible is met. At Nourishing NY, we understand this, which is why our practice was built on the value of accessible care. We are a team of nutritionists in NYC that accept major insurance companies, including Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Healthfirst, United Healthcare, and some Medicaid plans.
Nutrition counseling is more sustainable with insurance coverage. When working with a nutritionist in NYC that accepts insurance, the cost is predictable. Whether you are fully covered or have a co-pay, you can financially budget for these services. This provides stability and accessibility to continued care and nutrition support. This can be important for anyone on their journey to heal their relationship with food though it can be especially significant for those in eating disorder recovery or those navigating chronic health conditions.
Types of Nutrition Services that Are Usually Covered by Insurance
There are a few types of nutrition services that are typically covered by insurance. It’s important to note coverage may look different dependent on the insurance company and plan, but here are a few services that we commonly see covered:
- Preventive care: Nutrition counseling to promote holistic health and prevention of illness. If there is a family history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, insurance companies may cover medical nutrition therapy services.
- Medical nutrition therapy: MNT is evidence-based treatment provided by Registered Dietitians to prevent, manage, and treat medical diagnoses such as diabetes, heart disease, GI disorders, PCOS, and several others. MNT involves a thorough nutrition assessment, nutrition counseling, and nutrition goal setting to support the client in treatment of their diagnoses.
- Eating disorder treatment: Eating disorder treatment is most effective when there is a full team in place, including a Registered Dietitian. To support continued recovery, insurance companies will often cover nutrition counseling for eating disorders.
A common misconception about insurance coverage for nutrition counseling in NYC is that there is no coverage or it is limited. While some insurance plans may only cover a small number of sessions, several insurance companies and plans, depending on the billing code, may provide anywhere from 26 sessions to unlimited sessions. Nutrition sessions may even be covered 100% at no cost to you.
How to Verify Your Insurance for Nutrition Counseling in NYC
After finding a nutritionist in NYC that accepts insurance, it can be helpful to verify the type of coverage your insurance plan may give you. You may verify your insurance for nutrition counseling in NYC by contacting your insurance company (using the number on the back of your insurance card) and asking about medical nutrition therapy, preventative services, or registered dietitian coverage. It may be helpful to ask about the following codes that are commonly used in nutrition counseling billing, which include:
- F50.9: Eating disorder (i.e. Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, ARFID, Binge Eating Disorder)
- Z71.3: Dietary counseling and surveillance
- Z72.4: Inappropriate diet and eating habits
- R73.03: Pre-diabetes
- E11.9: Diabetes
- E78.00: High cholesterol
- E28.2: PCOS
- Z82.49: Family history of heart disease
- Z83.3: Family history of diabetes
These are common terms used by insurance companies that you may hear regarding coverage:
- Deductible: the amount of money you pay out-of-pocket before your insurance company starts paying.
- Example: If your deductible is $500 per calendar year, you must spend $500 out-of-pocket before insurance starts paying towards your healthcare services.
- Copay: a fixed fee you pay for healthcare services. Depending on your insurance plan, a copay may be applicable after meeting your deductible.
- Example: Your copay for nutrition sessions is $30. This means every nutrition session you pay $30 out-of-pocket and your insurance company covers the rest.
- Out-of-network reimbursement: This means your insurance company will pay you for healthcare services received with an out-of-network provider. You will have to pay the full fee out-of-pocket and then your insurance company will send you a reimbursement check. Depending on the plan, it may be partial reimbursement (usually a percentage). You may ask your provider if they offer superbills, which you can submit to your insurance company.
- Co-insurance: the share of your cost for a covered healthcare service after meeting your deductible, which is calculated as a percentage.
- Example: Your coinsurance is 20% for nutrition services and your deductible is $500. Once you spend $500 on healthcare services, you will only pay 20% of the cost of your nutrition session (if the session is $100, you only spend $20 and the insurance company pays the rest).
At Nourishing NY, our billing team takes care of the insurance benefits check for you. After inquiring through the contact form on our website, our team will reach out to you requesting your insurance card and information, current diagnoses/medical history, and other demographic information. Our team will then contact your insurance company and complete the benefit check for you. Afterwards, the billing team will make you aware of your benefits and then you’re ready to schedule with a registered dietitian in NYC after your discovery call!
What to Expect in Your First Appointment With a Nutritionist That Takes Insurance
Your first appointment with a registered dietitian nutritionist is considered an initial intake, or initial nutrition assessment. This assessment is used to obtain relevant medical and nutrition information to allow the RDN to best support you in your future goals. Some topics they may review are:
- Medical and mental health diagnoses, including family medical history
- Disordered eating behaviors: restriction, bingeing, purging, laxative/diuretic misuse, excessive exercise
- Weight history
- Initial overview of relationships with food, movement, and body image
- Previous experiences with working with a dietitian and treatment history
- Food allergies, food intolerances, and food preferences
- Access to food
- Nutrition goals
Your dietitian may also ask you to forward them any recent labs or test results you have that would be relevant to your work together. After completing the initial nutrition assessment, you will begin to set realistic and achievable goals.
When we think of registered dietitians, we may initially think they provide diet advice, but nutrition therapy is much more than that. Diet or nutrition advice may involve providing recommendations based on your medical history or diagnoses, whereas nutrition therapy takes this a step further. Nutrition therapy approaches nutrition counseling with a holistic lens and is individual to the client. Alongside medical history, a nutritionist in NYC that accepts insurance and provides medical nutrition therapy will also take into consideration your food preferences, access to food, culture, co-occurring diagnoses, and more. At Nourishing NY, our registered dietitians approach medical nutrition therapy through a weight-neutral, Health at Every Size® lens to ensure sustainability throughout your intuitive eating or eating disorder recovery journey.