Why It’s So Hard to Find a Therapist Who Takes Insurance

[@Ana-Maria-Sierra]

This has been going on for decades. Plus reimbursement rates have declined!

[@bmdm-ft7su]

thank you for taking on this horrible situation - profit-driven insurers have ruined healthcare!

[@JamesEvans-k6b]

How do I do 100 thumbs Up?

[@JamesEvans-k6b]

They combined with profit driven health care provider conglomerates like Hospital chains and the for profit corporations managing them.

[@BobBuilder-yk4nu]

I agree, that’s why I only use non-profit insurance companies….

[@BobBuilder-yk4nu]

@@CowboyConan no, it was sarcasm. Nobody will take on risk without a worthwhile reward.

[@BeachPeach2010]

It's because we quit treating mental illness in our country. That went out with the Reagan Era. It was unfashionable, and this is what it left us with. You would think folks could connect those dots, but then again, we only mandate an 8th grade education. Vicious cycle that perpetuates itself.

[@norankpost2]

All health care in USA is for profit. The system benefits health care corporations. Insurance companies are for profit corporations.

[@JamesEvans-k6b]

Banner is defrauding Medicare and Medicaid in Arizona to the tune of $ MILLION$ and no one is doing anything about it. I got Humana Medicare to not pay the fraudulent bills and they opened a Medicaid account without my knowledge or permission and processed all the fraudulent bills for services they never delivered. Banner has all but destroyed health care in So Az and sullied the excellent reputation of the University of Arizona Medical Center. Who investigated that merger from Hell?

[@BobBuilder-yk4nu]

The VA is socialized healthcare, Indian reservations have socialized healthcare. Those two groups receive the worst healthcare in the country. That’s why most vets request referrals to “profit driven” hospitals….so they can actually get quality healthcare.

[@JamesEvans-k6b]

@@norankpost2 Everyone benefits, insurance companies, employers, medical device manufacturers, health provider companies, health providers, cheats and fraudsters, and last but definitely not least Big Pharma from the current health care system. And who suffers? Infants, mothers, pregnant women, patients, people who are ill, and the elderly. Who says American health care and medical insurance needs to be turned on it’s head until every dime rolls back to favor free public health care for ALL!! Now! Demand it!

[@JamesEvans-k6b]

@@BobBuilder-yk4nu Mismanagement, underfunding and MAGA Republicans are to blame here, not socialized health care. Until Thatcher conservatives came along, the vast majority of Britts praised their socialized welfare health care system.

[@BobBuilder-yk4nu]

@@JamesEvans-k6b British healthcare is one of the worst systems of care in the entire EU….read more. You basically tried to make the argument that a system that has been failing for decades is the fault of a group that has only been around for 8 years. If you want to actually address the issue, read the affordable care act and then come back and apologize for your ignorance son.

[@Crazee8tz]

Insurance companies should be no where near healthcare in general.

[@BobBuilder-yk4nu]

So you want to pay for healthcare out of pocket instead of just paying a copay or deductible? Why would you want to pay more for healthcare?

[@keve4253]

@@BobBuilder-yk4nu insurance companies should be abolished, they serve no purpose other than to extort money, we should have a real "Capitalist" healthcare and have people pay out of pocket which would be substantially cheaper, or a universal health care and make sure the doctors don't charge exorbitant prices,

[@leoscheibelhut940]

ProPublica is the future of journalism! Keep up the great work, you are doing a much better job than the NYT or WaPo. Thank you!

[@huddunlap3999]

Years ago my Urologist wanted to run a new type of test. I asked my insurance company and they said maybe. If you don't have the money to pay for it yourself the insurance company is treating you not the doctor.

[@angelalaskodi3459]

We are in the process of getting off Optum medical group because they sent me a list of 60 patients they want medical records on. I never did send them. They call multiple times a day for the last 2 months asking for these records. It takes hours and hours to fulfill that request.

[@damham5689]

My GP is a small independent office and she has has more staff dealing with insurance company billing than medical staff. Its ridiculous.

[@r.p.5863]

The problem is insurance companies require a diagnosis to reimburse treatment and ultimately get to make a final decision whether or not treatment is necessary for any particular client, despite not being the professional in the room. An what they reimburse is no where near what you can get from private pay. Insurance companies just require a lot more work for at times significantly less pay. The only net positive about insurances is that you will be swimming in clients if you so choose to do so, but then run the risk of overworking yourself and burning out for less compensation. Insurers want to treat mental health from a standardized medical model and, while having some parallels, is much more idiosyncratic than medical healthcare.

[@salliecinnamon]

What can be done? I want to address this and change it, but even after researching, I’m unsure where to start.

[@cmj_87]

community healing

[@JP-lu9ed]

If you are employed with a company that regularly negotiates what insurance plans to offer, complain about poor coverage to the person who is negotiating with the insurance company. Insurance companies want to sell their coverage so your company is their customer. The bigger your company, the more power they have in negotiating better plans.

[@MissPrissy6688]

Its been said that STRESS causes illnesses. As a massage therapist i once was a preferred provider for Insurance companies. In the notes i had to keep and also provide for insurance if i noted stress as a condition (along with other physical conditions) they refused to pay. After 15 years of being a preferred provider, i stopped talking insurance. Many reasons for dumping insurance. Many massage therapists dumped insurance because they needed to hire a staff to process the paperwork they required to get paid. Then after the paperwork was provided, they could still deny payment.

[@fedexpress14]

It is appalling how little health providers care about mental health. It may be continuing to improve slightly, but I feel providers would prefer to give you a pill and send you on your way. Therapy is never considered vital to maintain your mental heath. It is seen as a treatment that must always have an end date. My health care provider always starts with an assessment. If you want to make sure that you can maintain your care, then be sure and inflate the issue you have or you'll be hounded as to when you intend to stop your treatment. You're seen as a number on a balance sheet rather than a human being. I missed a single appointment with a therapist and I was immediately deemed not taking the treatment seriously and warned my treatment would be terminated. I'm forgetful unless I'm very consistent with calendar appointments and had been doing pretty well by scheduling consistent exercise and in that instance, my exercise had overlapped with the appointment I had made. As was mentioned in the video, therapists are pressured to keep treatment short-term to the point that they prefer to no longer accept insurance and work exclusively with paying patients. This was the fate of a therapist that I really liked and I will likely be seeking out her services as I have had poor results with therapists that my provider has provided to me.

[@insaniac64]

Because insurance companies make it impossible for the provider to get paid

[@keve4253]

maybe these therapists shouldnt charge people $200 for 50 minutes

[@insaniac64]

@@keve4253 not all of them do, that's why they take insurance, even though it often pays less, that way the patient doesn't have to pay as much

[@my_freelance_life]

Even harder to find mental health professionals when you have Medicaid. "Ask me how I know?"

[@JamesEvans-k6b]

We’re asking.

[@Kiskadee8388]

Why won't insurance pay for therapeutic massage ? It is excellent preventive medicine.

[@alakani]

​@FilzupBilburp How about healthy food? I seem to recall a few papers implying that would be a good thing.

[@ani1344]

@FilzupBilburpprove it

[@Bjm21703]

You can see them within 3 days if you pay cash. If you try using insurance, they are booked for the year.

[@keve4253]

most therapists are in it for the money like everyone else in the US health care racket

[@timd4524]

There aren't enough therapists. That's absolutely true. They're all going into research.

[@alakani]

Short answer, because most like money more than people. Also, the whole system is pretty messed up

[@christinasornbutnark1208]

Can you talk about how dental care is a luxury next please 😊

[@BobBuilder-yk4nu]

Get dental insurance….i pay 20 dollars a month….thats not luxury.

[@ani1344]

@@BobBuilder-yk4nuit doesn’t cover that much

[@christinasornbutnark1208]

@@BobBuilder-yk4nu dude everyone has dental Insurance bc it’s cheaper than dirt. But it doesn’t cover 💩

[@BobBuilder-yk4nu]

@@christinasornbutnark1208 brush your teeth……eat less poop……be less gross

[@dtrain3026]

I would guess because they want all the money. Seems pretty straightforward.

[@cmj_87]

Wopila tanka, deep thanks for your dedication to the truth. 🌿

[@Michael-dr3mm]

But who can afford $350 every week just for therapy? Clearly only for the weathy.

[@SheilaR.08]

That's the problem. I understand the problems that these therapists are describing, but the reality is that providers who don't participate in any insurance networks can only see patients with high incomes. It exacerbates a health care class system.

[@priyamaharaj9066]

On the other hand it is a very taxing career and they are limited by how many hours there are in a day. These people also need to make a living

[@FloriaG777]

Pretty telling ... for profit businesses, even those defined as therapeutic, do not prioritize well-being of the individuals and society over profits. People continue to make choices that collectively ignore the root causes of our own exploitation. As long as we keep voting for political representatives committed to rigging the system for their own excessive interests, corrupt profiteers will be the outcome.

[@JP-lu9ed]

Another reason therapists don’t want to work with insurance companies is the lack of trust about those companies truly being rigorous about confidentiality. When you use your insurance you are automatically signing permission for the insurance company to ask for and review your files at any time they deem . Most insurance companies have good policies assuring patients of confidentiality -- and increased regulation to assure it - but it’s not perfect. If a patient uses an HMO system in which there is one patient file for all their care - that’s great for patient health care coordination but not so great if there are delicate matters you don’t want every provider you see to have access to.

[@JP-lu9ed]

Insurers were essentially forced into supporting mental health care and have tried to limit it….weirdly even when it has been shown to decrease much more expensive inpatient psychiatric care.

[@Beshashem]

I gave up on finding a therapist because I refuse to pay them through Zelle plus trying to get in person sessions are almost impossible. No one takes my insurance and if they do they are fully booked and not taking new clients.

[@SheilaR.08]

I struggled for over a year to find an in-network therapist who was accepting new payments. I recently found one at long last through a telehealth platform. My therapist is in my state and we have appointments via video. The platform is Sondermind, but there are several others that work in the same way. It's not a subscription, but is billed to insurance the same way any in-person visit would be.

[@majorgeneralmalaise]

It's a lot easier to find a virtual therapist these days so that's what I went with.

[@nycole8192]

Because...🤦🏽‍♀️ My Insurance will not cover mental therapy at the Clinic where ALL of my Dr.s and treatment are. Sooo, they cover everything except mental health care?!?!🤷🏽‍♀️❤️‍🩹🙏🏽😒

[@donnapadula1658]

It’s horrible that you can’t get any good decent mental health

[@tvviewer4500]

Because it’s insane to involve insurance companies in a pseudo science like therapy.

[@BJH0380]

I’d feel comfortable talking to the woman in this video.

[@klarge24]

Not cool.... People need mental support more than ever

[@rocsummits]

Imagine... when Insurance decides to drop Psychiatry patients and the drug epidemic and homeless epidemic rises. This is a full on crisis right now. Mental Health in America is hardly effective. God healed my Mental Health effectively! This is why I do what I do now. I worked in Healthcare. I seen all of it. There's no chance for many.

[@miyagifatghost2684]

Let's be honest about that industry in general. There is a lot manipulation and malpractice going on for exorbitant prices.

[@katy6112-8]

"Health Care"?? Yeah😂

[@donut3946]

Because it’s bull for most people.

[@Justgoodvids]

What are they doing now and are they making money?

[@asg102]

Because therapy is subjective.

[@ani1344]

How would you know?

[@asg102]

@@ani1344 there is no science behind it. It is how a therapist feels about a situation. The quality of this relationship is based on trust, communication, and personal connection, which are all subjective to the individuals involved.

[@keve4253]

how about blaming the "therapists" who charge people $200-$250 for 50 minutes, maybe if they like everyone else in the healthcare industry weren't criminals it could be more affordable

[@ani1344]

Criminals? For charging more than you can pay? Seems a bit much

[@wmpx34]

Why? Kapitulizm

[@DougGrinbergs]

So much room reverb 😕

[@jonathanmiller8131]

Yeah 100 dollars a session just to vent id rather pick up my guitar for free

[@me2ontube]

Well, therapy is a joke anyway n as much as I despise insurance companies I must take their side on this 1

[@Yennep]

Please talk about the families/survivors of American military personnel who are never coming home and are just classified as "missing". Thousands of American warriors have gone "missing" and their families (widows, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, etc...) are left not knowing and constantly ignored by the government. No survivor's benefits, no headstone to mark their final resting and no respect from the nation they died for. And please investigate one of the most heinous crimes ever committed against an entire nation; a sitting President complicit with the murders of American warriors. TRAITOR trump's public denial of Putin's "Bounty" program of assassination of Spec Ops personnel was a lie. trump stole NDI documents directly related to SOC and NSOC missions during his time in the WH. The "Russia Book" is still missing.

[@asideofaioli4630]

I'm sorry, I want to find out more about this but a little confused. Can you explain what you mean or direct me to a good way to search this online?

[@ByronMacleod-r9p]

Crybaby counseling is not healthcare

[@newtrailers2770]

These so called Therapist hate the IRS

[@EricckkMoneyy7777NGL]

Apparently, BetterHelp does it without insurance. I don't know if this helps but I've heard they are trash and treat people weirdly.

[@JP-lu9ed]

I know some therapists who work for them part time and are good -- but it’s more like a beginner getting experience or retired folks working a few hours a week because they enjoy it and don’t have to deal with the administrative part. I don’t know anyone making an actual living doing it.

[@nickjohnson3619]

Yuppies with anxiety have sorta taken all the mental health resources. Can't say i blame the professionals though. Better to get 200 an hr listening to someone complain about how hard marketinf is than dealing with schizophrenics who are usually broke