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mental health services contracted through a company as part of the employee assistance program. I see a few here on disability, so an EAP would not be available.

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Private health insurance is a raquet. Just like all other forms of private insurance.

Why is it so hard to find insurance that adequately pays therapists?

Aetna was very good when it came to MH coverage. When my employer switched to UHC this year, it was a whole different story. UHC is demonstrably, documentedly garbage when it comes to MH coverage, whether it be access to providers or reimbursement for care.

I was glad to stumble onto this posting, because I was wondering if I was imagining things. I’ve been looking for a therapist for several years now, and the insurance issue is definitely a problem—but a lot of therapists just aren’t taking on new clients. The pool is very limited if nonexistent.

This is no longer the case. As of Jan 2024 LPCs and some other licensed mental health providers are able to be covered by Medicare. There is a credentialing process. You have more options now!

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I’m lucky enough that my family income is enough that I can take insurance. It it wasn’t for that, there’s no way I could make a living relying on insurance payouts

Insurance company employees are paid bonuses based on how many claims they deny.

The easy answer is literally money. It's a profession. If insurances won't pay you for your time, you can't take it. If I see a medicaid patient in my office (foot and ankle surgery) in Pennsylvania, they pay me $20. Sometimes that can be 45 min for $20. Actively losing money to help people.

Low rates and an extremely complicated claims process. A lot of therapists will provide a bill so the patient can submit a claim themselves

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My therapist doesn’t take insurance. But she charges an affordable amount.

I found one. She’s 40 years younger than me and has no training for working with the neurodivergent.

Finding a therapist who takes insurance feels like solving a riddle: endless hurdles, low payouts, and miles of red tape. 🧠💔 Mental health care should be accessible, not a luxury. It’s time to fix the system. #MentalHealthMatters

I lost my therapist for this exact reason. Felt betrayed and didn’t want to restart with someone else just to run the risk of the same thing happening. 🫠

It's the insurance companies...we need to change the concept of insurance so people get 40% of their payment if they had no claim.

There must be a path to fix this.

that to accommodate working hours because daycares don’t take autistic kids, and your friends won’t watch a kid with behavior issues. So yeah, a compromise should be found to not taking any insurance. People need help. And help shouldn’t be only for the rich, he blocked me. Nice ethics.

Plumbers don’t come once a week, or multiple times a week. My car repairman can replace enough parts to eventually fix the problem. Therapy drains families of financial resources for other children or necessities because of the frequency and length of time. It shouldn’t only be for the rich.

#DBSA

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I assume similar is true for dentists?

Therapy is incredibly useful, yet it is not available to the poor, to those struggling to survive, since they can't afford the cost. AI in the future will be VR with our own therapist and teachers that will always be there, and doesn't get annoyed with our inability to cope or comprehend. #6'Elon

Here in Australia you can get at least 10 Medicare rebated sessions as long as you have a letter and mental health plan from your General Practitioner.

For me finding a provider that took my insurance was really hard, at a time when I needed things to be easy. Then when I found one they told me that they had to drop my network so I would have to find someone else. Never did.

Live in a small town, there's nobody to go to regardless of insurance. No actual Drs, we have a few "counselors", but they can't do meds and they don't have the education of an actual Dr.

Insurance companies also purposely limit the number of therapists they contract with. As a therapist I tried to get on with A#^$@ but was told they had enough therapists in my region -- not taking more. Even though I often receive calls from people looking to use their A#^$@ insurance die therapy.

Therapists at Kaiser Permanente SoCal have been on partial strike for several weeks. We need to support them and let KP know we stand with our therapists!

as a result many end up ending life or simply giving up. I talk to people EVERY DAY who say "I couldn't afford a therapist" and they did try. It's horrifying to think of the brilliant minds this wealthy country squanders, solely bc we neglect not only physical but also mental health so severely.

YES!

I’m a doctor, married to a mental health therapist, and watching the work that has to go into getting her independent licensure has been insane. She’s had to fill out applications to be contracted with each individual insurance so she can carry her caseload. It’s taken months.

In so many sectors of healthcare and making the insurance private equity companies was the worst decision for our health 😔

I take insurance but understand why so many have left insurance. They reimburse at less than our rates and seem to think they are the drs psychotherapists etc

I take insurance but this difficult as insurance companies pay less than our fees much less