Posted by lucy stone on July 2, 2004, at 13:17:20
In reply to Re: How much does a good therapist charge?, posted by Angela2 on July 2, 2004, at 12:30:32
> Right now my insurance is covering none of my appointments because I was only covered for 20 visits per year and I have run out. Doctors appointments are always covered during the year and there is no limit for insurance. Congress has turned down the suggestion of treating mental health visits like doctors appointments many times.
This is something I can never understand. Mental health problems often cause or aggrevate physical problems. Insurance companies will pay to treat the physical problems but will not pay to treat the underlying mental problem. If your psychological problems cause you to overeat insurance will pay to treat the resulting heart attack, but they won't pay to address what made you overeat in the first place. My daughter had a brief period of anorexia a few years ago. The insurance paid for doctor visits to monitor her physical health but wouldn't pay for the therapist who saved her life. In addition, our insurance pays for 26 visits a year. Her T needed to see her twice a week for support as she started eating but didn't need to see her for a hour each time. He saw her for two 30 minute sessions a week and charged half of his usual session fee each time. The insurance counted each one as a visit so we ran out of coverage in 13 weeks rather than 26. She needed to be in treatment for longer than that and we paid for it out of pocket. Fortunately, we could cover the cost but many people can't.
poster:lucy stone
thread:362407
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040624/msgs/362606.html