Case Study:   Thompkins v. BC Life and Health

Kantor & Kantor won the first published district court decision in California in an eating disorder case in which a client was denied benefits for in-patient treatment of bulimia. Thompkins v. BC Life and Health Ins. Co., 414 F.Supp2d 953 (C.D.Cal. 2006).

Amy Thompkins suffered from bulimia and required inpatient treatment at a residential care facility. After first agreeing to pay for such treatment, BC denied benefits after less that four months, saying Amy no longer required inpatient treatment despite assessments from her therapists that proved otherwise.

The District Court interpreted California's mental health parity law AB88, which requires health insurance policies to cover treatment for mental illness (including eating disorders) on the same terms and conditions applied to other medical conditions, to include beneficiaries who did not live or seek medical care in California but whose policies are issued in California. The court ruled Amy was entitled to continued benefits under her medical plan.