There are a lot of things most of us don’t understand when it comes to health insurance. One of the biggest misunderstandings that I have come across is what occurs when you choose to use your medical insurance for mental health services.
At SMC we get a lot of phone calls from potential clients wanting to know if we accept their health insurance. I get it, counseling services can be expensive and if you have insurance you might as well use it, right? Well not exactly. Currently, SMC is a fee for service clinic (meaning we do not accept medical insurance) and we do this with great purpose. If we were to accept insurance we would be under the rules and regulations of the insurance provider which typically limits how effective our treatment can be.
What kind of restrictions am I talking about, first off, as clinicians we would be required by the insurance provider to give the client a mental health diagnosis, that label then goes on their permanent medical health record. Second, most insurance providers put caps or limits on how many sessions we can see a client. This has several variables but mainly, based on type of coverage and what type of diagnosis we are treating. Third, they may limit what types of treatment that can be provided.
The main point that I want to get across in this blog is that if you go to a clinic to receive mental health services and you choose to use your medical insurance you will receive a mental health diagnosis.
Okay, so what does that matter? Well let’s say you get diagnosed with depression when you are 27, then you continue on with your life and decide that you would like to adopt at age 31. I have heard horror stories where clients were not approved for adoption because they had a mental health diagnosis, like depression (from years ago) that disqualified them. How tragic. This is simply one example, you can think in terms of vocation, recreational activities, such as hunting and target shooting.
One huge concern of mine is children and teens. As a parent I would not want my daughter to have a label put on her permanent record just so she can gain some services regarding stress reduction. Parents really need to think about how they use their insurance and be very mindful of what kind of labels are being put on their child.
Here is a tip, when you go into a mental health clinic, ask them about their diagnosing process. Make sure they make you a part of the assessment so that you understand what label you or your loved one are getting. Most times a diagnosis will not even be discussed and it will just be put on your record without the patient’s knowledge. This upsets me a great deal and that is why I feel it is important to educate the public so that they can make an educated decision.
Let’s do it differently today and truly think about the pros and cons of using our medical insurance. Simply understand the possible consequences that could arise down the road from receiving a diagnosis that goes on your permanent record before moving forward. All of the clinicians at SMC would be happy to talk further about this topic. If you have any further questions please pick up the phone and call: (952) 758 5090 or email jessica@southmetrocounseling.com.
Thank you and Happy Mid-Month!