Making Weight Loss an Affordable Investment for All Families

Wellspring’s mission is to help children, adolescents, young adults and entire families return to a healthy weight.  We offer the most effective weight loss solutions available and strive to make them financially accessible to all families.

Wellspring offers two renowned weight loss programs that have helped thousands of families live healthier, happier lives:

  1. Wellspring Camps.  11 summer fitness and weight loss programs in the United States, Canada, and UK, plus the unique Family Camp program for families.
  2. Wellspring Academies.  Year-round, long-term enrollment for weight loss while continuing education.  Learn more about the Academies by clicking here.
Low Potential Monthly Cost*
 
  4-week session 4-months w/ fee
Tuition $6,490 $26,000
Insurance Reimbursement $1,500 $5,500
Monthly Cost
w/ Loan		 $110 $271

 

Wellspring works hard to make our Camps an affordable investment with:

  1. Insurance reimbursement
  2. Loans to spread the cost into easy monthly payments
  3. Tax deductions to reduce your taxable income
  4. Refundable Fees

1). Insurance Reimbursement:  Working with Your Insurance Provider

Due to the clinical program that is a central part of the Wellspring Plan, many Wellspring families are able to recoup a significant portion of Camp tuition from their insurance company.  Reimbursement is possible for:

  • The psychological assessment conducted with each camper at the start of camp
  • Four weekly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) sessions, including two individual and two group sessions. 

Wellspring clinical services, which are always provided by Masters- or Doctoral-level therapists and social workers, can be categorized as either “mental health” or “health” (“medical”) treatments depending upon your insurance provider, plan, and benefits.
In our experience, families with PPO plans are most likely to receive reimbursement.  This reimbursement generally covers a portion of the clinical component of the program (an estimated $2,000 for the first four weeks, and $1,500 for the second four weeks).  Even with a PPO plan, you should not expect full reimbursement, nor should you base your decision to enroll your children upon such reimbursement. 
And because health insurance plans vary greatly, Wellspring cannot guarantee that any portion of a camper’s tuition will be reimbursed by health insurance providers.
It is also important to note that, regardless of possible insurance reimbursement, payment is required in full to Wellspring prior to the start of the Wellspring program.  Reimbursement from insurance is then sent directly to us by your insurance provider, and Wellspring will immediately process a check for you for the amount of the reimbursement received, less a 6% administrative fee paid by Wellspring to the insurance billing service.
Families with HMOs should generally not expect to receive reimbursement, although families should advocate for their child’s health at all times.

Wellspring uses a private billing agency to bill insurance companies directly for reimbursement.  If pre-authorization is required, Wellspring will determine this and, where possible, ensure that treatment is preauthorized. 

Despite the fact that campers do live in a residential setting at camp, treatment at Wellspring is not considered inpatient care, nor should our services ever be represented as such.

Questions to Consider in Determining Likely Reimbursement from Health Insurance:

Question

Understanding the Answer

Question #1:  Does my health insurance plan reimburse for out-of-network behavioral therapy?

If yes, go to Question #2.

If no, then you are very unlikely to receive any reimbursement of the Wellspring tuition

Question #2:  Is there a deductible required for out-of-network behavioral therapy?

If no, go to Question #3.

If yes, ask the amount, and whether you may have already satisfied all or part of it for this year.

Question #3:  At what rate will I be reimbursed?

  1. Individual cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions (CPT codes 90806 and 90804)
  1. Group cognitive behavioral therapy sessions (CPT code 90853)
  1. Psychological assessments (CPT code 90801)

Please note:

  1. Individual sessions are billed at a rate of $96 to $144, depending on length (typically one $96 and one $144 session per week)
  1. Group sessions are billed at a rate of $72 per (typically two group sessions per week)
  1. The assessment is billed at a rate of $500 (typically one assessment)

2). Loans for Easy Monthly Payments
Wellspring offers an attractive loan program to families enrolling their children in either our Wellspring Camps program, or Wellspring Academies, our boarding schools for weight loss.  Loans are available to cover the entire cost of camp, including tuition, fees and transportation to and from the program, and feature reasonable interest rates, a 20-year amortization period, and deferral of payments for up to 6 months. 

Weight Loss Camps

To simplify the loan process, we recommend that families work with our partner, Clark Custom Loans, an organization that helps hundreds of Wellspring families each year. Clark Custom Loans guides you through the loan qualification and application process, and helps you to choose a loan package best suited to your financial situation.  Clark Custom Loans typically completes this process within 48 hours. 

Please contact Clark Custom Loans directly and tell them you’re interested in qualifying for a loan to attend Wellspring.

Clark Custom Loans
1101 East Lakeshore
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Phone (888) 755-3079   
Fax (208) 676-1702
team@customedloans.com

Weight Loss Camp for Kids

3). Tax Deduction
The IRS implemented a new policy (IRS Ruling 202-19) in 2002 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.

The word “obese” carries a lot of significance socially and emotionally and may be difficult for parents to accept; in medical terms, however, it simply refers to a specific measure of body mass, called the Body Mass Index or BMI. To find out your child’s BMI, click here.

For more information about the IRS policy regarding obesity treatment, please visit:
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc502.html

Weight Loss Camp for Kids

Wellspring Fees

Since Wellspring Camps vary greatly in terms of location, start dates, and lengths of stay, please click here to view camp tuition.   

Refundable Fees:  Family Workshop & Continuing Care

Family Workshop: $300 or £200. This fee is refunded in full if at least one family member attends the Family Workshop Weekend. This fee is not required for Wellspring Camp La Jolla or Wellspring Family Camp.

Year-Round Continuing Care Program: $600 or £300.  This fee is refunded in full if:

  • Camper completes 140 out of 180 days of self-monitoring (3 food items with fat and calories recorded per day), AND
  • Parent or camper obtains a verified height and weight and provides this form back to Wellspring via mail, fax, or email.  The program continues until June 1, 2011.

Additional Fees: Adventure Gear

For Wellspring Adventure Camp and Wellspring Hawaii, there is a non-refundable $350 for camping equipment that campers keep (backpack, sleeping bag, rain gear, etc.).

Camp locations: