Choosing Care Over Coverage: Why Your Therapist Doesn’t Take Health Insurance
“There are nowhere near enough available therapists in insurance networks to serve all of the people seeking care. And although almost all Americans are insured, about half of people with mental illness are unable to access treatment. The consequences can be devastating.”
– ProPublica via npr.org
For all of the progress we’ve made in legitimizing mental health care as essential health care, there are often still significant barriers in therapy sessions or ongoing treatments being accessible and affordable in the same way medical care is.
This is where health insurance is expected to make a difference – making mental health care more accessible by reducing or easing treatment costs and expanding access to a broader range of providers.
However, the reality often falls short, where many still struggle to find affordable and reliable support when they need it most. Once a patient has successfully found one of the rare plans that cover mental health therapy, then finding a therapist who accepts insurance can feel nearly impossible these days.
Why is it so hard to see a therapist in your network? More and more providers have left their insurance network – for one of these 4 reasons:
1. Discriminatory Policies
Insurance networks treat mental health as short-term, acute issues, ignoring the chronic and non-linear nature of these conditions.
This approach means insurance patients end up facing administrative hurdles, higher out-of-pocket costs or even denial of treatment. This creates financial strain, hinders the healing process and adds to the stigma around seeking long-term mental health care – all things a caring therapist wants to avoid being part of!
2. Insurance Interference
According to ProPublica, “It is often the insurers, not the therapists, that determine who can get treatment, what kind they can get and for how long. More than a dozen therapists said insurers urged them to reduce care when their patients were on the brink of harm, including suicide.”
Insurers dictating the level of care and attention clients may receive from their therapists can cause serious harm and severe consequences. Therapists also end up spending more time fighting insurance companies than focusing on their patients, leading many to leave networks altogether in order to prioritize patient care and avoid compromising their treatment integrity.
3. Financial Strain & Delayed or Declined Reimbursement
The rates insurance companies pay therapists are also notably lower than what general practitioner doctors earn, usually between 50-60% of their standard fee. Administrative costs, including billing and managing claims, eat into earnings. Sometimes, therapists have to wait years before getting reimbursed.
As cited in a 2020 California Fellowship Project Report, “Therapists sometimes end up so defeated trying to chase down payment for their work, they just give up.”
4. Emotional Stress
Therapists often face significant stress from their constant battles with insurance companies over coverage and payments.
According to Mental Health Match, “The process of working with insurance companies can be time-consuming and bureaucratic… all while balancing a busy caseload. This can take away from valuable time that could be spent with clients or on professional development.”
Having their treatment decisions questioned or denied can make any therapist feel frustrated and powerless, and opting out of the system is often their only recourse.
What Does This Mean for You?
While it may be disheartening to learn that your therapist doesn’t take insurance, it’s important to understand that this is often the hard choice they made to ensure you will receive the highest level of care without insurance-imposed limitations.
By doing so, therapists can offer the consistent and focused attention that you deserve, allowing them to guide you through whatever you’re dealing with at the pace that’s right for you.
Personalized Counseling in Boca Raton, Florida
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When you feel ready to address concerns regarding work, money or any other area of your life, feel free to contact us or talk to any of our experienced therapists` to schedule an appointment.
Review notes. These are the external sources:
https://mentalhealthmatch.com/articles/therapy/untold-truth-why-your-therapist-doesnt-take-insurance
