I would make a comment about how insane the American insurance situation is but we have our own weirdness with health care that I have never been able to figure out.
Yes we have Medicare for all provided by the government. Then they encourage you to get supplemental private health care by giving a tax break if you do. But doctors are allowed to charge more than the government rate if they want and you have to pay the difference, unless there is some hardship or something. But your private insurance doesn't cover that gap in payment, which is what I would think it should be for. The private insurance seems to be mostly to cover procedures in private hospitals and maybe payment for meds that aren't on the government approved list, depending on your plan. Or something, like I said, I can't figure it out.
So yeah, I finally got a health care provider after waiting forever for an appointment have just stuck with him. Every six months I talk with him on the phone so he can renew my prescriptions, since he won't see patients in person due to covid (that was the rule for a while but now he could see patients in person if he wanted). I was happy enough with the arrangement as long as he kept pushing the drugs. But then I started having a really weird reaction to the time release speed (sorry ritalin) that took me a long time to figure out. I had to come up with my own idea to change the treatment plan and get him to agree. I would possibly see someone else but I don't want to risk having them fuck up things that more or less work.
Sorry to make this about me, but if you have a good working relationship with your doc it sucks to have to change it.
I hear you. The reason we have this mess is greed. Insurance companies make billions and they're - and their shareholders - are not about to give that up. For-profit "health care" is a contradiction in terms.
How timely. I've been going to the same provider for years and now they are suddenly "out of network" I plan on calling my carrier tomorrow to inquire about this nonsense.
Iâm pretty blessed after reading some posts. Since covid I get a call once a month from my therapist. We chat for about 45 minutes and get my scripts for my meds to be called in. Iâll keep some of you in my good thoughts for you to get the help you need.
How timely. I've been going to the same provider for years and now they are suddenly "out of network" I plan on calling my carrier tomorrow to inquire about this nonsense.
Good luck. I don't have out of network coverage, but I was able to get my insurance carrier to make an exception for my son...after I made a few hours of calls to in-network providers, a handful of which actually returned my call to say they had no availability.
WSJ article on finding a therapist. It's worth noting that if you can't find an in network provider, the insurance carrier has to provide out of network coverage, whether your plan has that option or not.
Finding a therapist who takes insurance was tough before the pandemic. Now, therapists and patients say, an increase in the need for mental-health care is making the search even harder.
Especially in big cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C., demand for mental-health care is so strong that many experienced therapists donât accept any insurance plans, they say. They can easily fill their practices with patients who would pay out of pocket, they add. Therapists who do take insurance are often booked up. And in many smaller towns and rural areas, there are few mental-health professionals at all. Finding a provider who takes insurance, or lowering your rates in other ways, is possible but often takes legwork that can be draining when you are already grappling with mental-health issues.
Paying out of pocket for individual weekly therapy can add up to thousands of dollars a year. In major cities, the going rate for experienced clinical psychologists can be as much as $300 for a 45-minute session. The typical fee for a session with a licensed clinical social worker is between $120 and $180
Psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists who donât accept insurance say that insurersâ reimbursement rates are too low.
About 34% of people with private insurance said they had difficulty finding a therapist who would accept their coverage, according to a 2016 surveyâthe most recent data availableâ
Office visits to mental-health providers are more than five times more likely to be out of network than are visits to primary-care providers, according to a 2019 report
How timely. I've been going to the same provider for years and now they are suddenly "out of network" I plan on calling my carrier tomorrow to inquire about this nonsense.
WSJ article on finding a therapist. It's worth noting that if you can't find an in network provider, the insurance carrier has to provide out of network coverage, whether your plan has that option or not.
Finding a therapist who takes insurance was tough before the pandemic. Now, therapists and patients say, an increase in the need for mental-health care is making the search even harder.
Especially in big cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C., demand for mental-health care is so strong that many experienced therapists donât accept any insurance plans, they say. They can easily fill their practices with patients who would pay out of pocket, they add. Therapists who do take insurance are often booked up. And in many smaller towns and rural areas, there are few mental-health professionals at all. Finding a provider who takes insurance, or lowering your rates in other ways, is possible but often takes legwork that can be draining when you are already grappling with mental-health issues.
Paying out of pocket for individual weekly therapy can add up to thousands of dollars a year. In major cities, the going rate for experienced clinical psychologists can be as much as $300 for a 45-minute session. The typical fee for a session with a licensed clinical social worker is between $120 and $180
Psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists who donât accept insurance say that insurersâ reimbursement rates are too low.
About 34% of people with private insurance said they had difficulty finding a therapist who would accept their coverage, according to a 2016 surveyâthe most recent data availableâ
Office visits to mental-health providers are more than five times more likely to be out of network than are visits to primary-care providers, according to a 2019 report
FYI, the relapse and overdose rate has increased by 30% since March 2020. Mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression.
NAMI, The National Alliance on Mental Health have a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.
wow
i heard there was an increase but thirty percent is huge
FYI, the relapse and overdose rate has increased by 30% since March 2020. Mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression.
NAMI, The National Alliance on Mental Health have a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.
Close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. Many more attempt suicide. Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds globally.
Suicide is a global phenomenon; in fact, 79% of suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2016. Suicide accounted for 1.4% of all deaths worldwide, making it the 18th leading cause of death in 2016. Effective and evidence-based interventions can be implemented at population, sub-population and individual levels to prevent suicide and suicide attempts.
There are indications that for each adult who died of suicide there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide.
I didn't get to post about mental health and violence and my sense of it all. Just too busy with work and life. But, I think that this article is a good way to start the conversation.
Much of treatment for mental health disorders is not curative. It's typically about learning coping skills. Coping with depression, coping with anxiety. Medications can help a bit, but the person ultimately needs to (when possible,) learn how to cope with their symptoms. As it pertains to major mental health disorders, Bipolar D/O and Schizophrenia, again, it is about coping, and the best outcomes are when people with mental illness are surrounded by a community, whether that is family, or group home care (there is such a thing as very very good group home care,) that can help to recognize when hospitalization is needed.
I would say in general, a major issue is that we, all of us, are not taught now to cope with the feeling of anger. Mentally ill or not, much of the violence that we see occurring has to do with either a build up or an impulsive spewing of anger.
