Making Wellspring Affordable
There are several reasons why Wellspring Wisconsin is an affordable investment in your child’s health and future.
1. Health Insurance Coverage
Wellspring Wisconsin is the only summer weight loss program in the Midwest eligible for health insurance reimbursement
This is due to the fact that the clinical component of Wellspring includes a psychological assessment and four cognitive-behavioral counseling sessions per week. Specifically, students participate in cognitive-behavioral therapy four times per week, twice individually and twice in a group therapeutic setting.
These services represent a portion of the total cost of tuition, and may be reimbursed by health insurance.
These services can be categorized as either “mental health” or “health” (“medical”) treatments and varies depending upon provider, plan, and benefits.
Typically, families with PPO plans are more likely to receive reimbursement for a portion of the clinical component of the program (as much as $2,000 for a 4-week session, and $1,500 for a second 4-week session). In view of the fact that there are thousands of insurance policies with complex reimbursement procedures, we cannot guarantee that your policy will cover these costs.
At the end of the summer, Wellspring will submit a statement directly to your insurer for reimbursement. If pre-authorization is required, we will have contacted your insurer before the summer to ensure that authorization is received prior to the start of treatment.
Families with HMO's should generally not expect to receive reimbursement, though we encourage families to advocate for their children's health whenever possible.
There are three main questions you should consider when calling your insurance providers:
1) Do you have out-of-network medical and/or mental health benefits?
2) Is there an additional deductible with either?
3) Is pre-authorization and/or pre-certification required, and if so, what is required?
2. Student Loans
Because of Wellspring’s affiliation with our sister programs Wellspring Academies, student loans are available to all Wellspring families. These loans are similar to the loans you might take out to pay for college. They can cover the entire camp tuition + fees, including transportation to and from camp, and feature very low interest rates, a 20-year amortization period, and deferral of payments for up to 6 months. Student loans also have no prepayment penalties or cancellation fees.
Families who take advantage of the student loan program find that the cost of 4 weeks at Wellspring can be as little as $55 per month. Because the loan qualification and application process can be confusing, and because Wellspring families can choose from among several student lenders, we recommend that all Wellspring families work with our partner organization, Educational Loans. Educational Loans guides all Wellspring families through the loan qualification and application process and helps families choose the best loan for them. Educational Loans typically can complete this process within 48 hours.
If you are interested in a student loan to pay for the cost of tuition at Wellspring, please contact Educational Loans today.
Educational Loans
1101 East Lakeshore
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Phone (888) 755-3079
Fax (208) 676-1702
sclark@customedloans.com
3. Tax Deduction
On April 2, 2002, the IRS announced a new policy (IRS Ruling 202-19) stating that "Obesity is medically accepted to be a disease in its own right." For taxpayers, this means that treatment specifically for obesity can now be claimed as a medical deduction following a referral from a physician.
For more information, please visit: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc502.html
