08/26/2024
This NPR story, in partnership with ProPublica, is one of the most important pieces of healthcare journalism in 2024. Please listen to it (7 minutes) instead of reading it. It is well-researched and clear in its explanation. And it is a near-perfect representation of why AutumnSpring Counseling is a private-pay practice that does not have any connection to health insurance whatsoever.
It is critical for current and future consumers of mental health services, which likely could be everyone, to understand what insurance companies do to mental health providers that degrades the quality of the services that clients receive. The are two challenges for private-pay health providers: (1) patients/clients are paying hefty premiums for what they believe should be a comfortable blanket covering the services necessary to return them to health and wellness; and (2) the big money in the health insurance industry makes it seem as though the best care is the care that your health insurance company tells you they will cover.
With a more educated consumer—particularly potential clients who recognize that their health insurance may not guarantee that they receive the care they need—private pay practitioners will be able to positively impact their clients and the mental health industry as a whole.
Getting mental health care covered by insurance can be really tough. Reporters spoke to hundreds of therapists who left their insurance networks to find out why.
