Maryland family faces $1.3 million bill for psychiatric care
NBC News reports that Rachel Levasseur improved in a specialized OCD program, but insurance coverage covered only a fraction of the cost.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
4 min read
A Maryland family says a psychiatric program that helped their daughter after years of failed treatment has left them owing about $1.3 million. NBC News reported that Rachel Levasseur, 24, improved during a year at The Retreat, a self-pay residential program at Sheppard Pratt, while her insurer paid only part of the daily cost.
Levasseur has a complex form of obsessive-compulsive disorder that can make her believe she is a danger to other people, NBC News reported. Her parents, Larry and Kandy Levasseur, told NBC News that she had attempted suicide many times before entering the program and had needed round-the-clock monitoring at home.
According to NBC News, the program paired Levasseur with psychiatrists, therapists and other clinicians in a personalized care plan. After about a year there, her parents said she became more social and was willing to go out with friends; Levasseur said she had not attempted suicide while in the program.
Her stay ended in March because the family could no longer pay the cost, which NBC News reported was nearly $3,000 a day. The Levasseurs said they had taken out a second mortgage and used Larry Levasseur’s retirement savings to cover part of the bill.
Insurance fight centers on out-of-network care
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield declined to discuss Levasseur’s case with NBC News. Sama Abduljawad, a Sheppard Pratt spokesperson, also declined to answer questions about the program or Levasseur’s care, citing privacy laws, according to NBC News.
The Levasseurs told NBC News they knew The Retreat was outside their insurance network, but believed CareFirst might make an exception because other programs had not helped their daughter. NBC News reported that such an exception, known as a single case agreement, can let a patient use in-network benefits for out-of-network care when no adequate in-network option is available.
The family said CareFirst was paying $521 toward a $3,300 daily charge when they asked the insurer in early 2025 to reconsider, according to NBC News. After CareFirst did not increase its share, the family appealed to the Maryland Insurance Administration and then to the Maryland Department of Budget and Management’s Employee Benefits Division.
In April, the Employee Benefits Division said the family had exhausted its options and stated that Sheppard Pratt had not been willing to enter a single case agreement, NBC News reported. But NBC News said Bryan Mroz, a Sheppard Pratt vice president, later wrote to the Levasseurs in May that the hospital would be willing to enter one for the outstanding balance.
The Employee Benefits Division told NBC News that the family had been in contact with an alternative in-network facility and said the state does not negotiate with providers or participate in Levasseur’s care team. The Levasseurs disputed that, telling NBC News they had not been given comparable in-network options.
Treatment tailored to autism diagnosis
NBC News reported that Levasseur’s OCD began in childhood with severe fears around germs and illness. Her autism spectrum disorder can make black-and-white thinking more pronounced and make it harder to identify irrational thoughts, her family told NBC News.
Her parents said previous care addressed parts of her condition but not the full combination of problems. At The Retreat, NBC News reported, she received radically open dialectical behavior therapy, a treatment aimed at suppressed emotions and rigid thinking patterns.
Levasseur told NBC News the program felt different because staff did not give up on her and gave her more individualized support. A written treatment plan from last year said it was possible she was finally in the right setting to make lasting progress, according to NBC News.
Her parents told NBC News that she is now in Sheppard Pratt’s inpatient unit, which is in network, but that the hospital will not readmit her to The Retreat until the outstanding balance is resolved. They said her condition has worsened since leaving the specialized residential program.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.