Why I Don't Take Insurance

Plenty concerns abound across the field. These are my main ones.

• While insurance is the most sought-after way to pay for therapy, and addresses a serious access need, it also presents many challenges for both clients and clinicians. 

• I am emigrating to Spain and will no longer be permitted to use the tech platforms that facilitate insurance billing. (Note: I had never intended to stay on those platforms for long.) 

  • These platforms are also just hella problematic, tbh. See also, and also, and this, and... well, just search online to your heart's desire.

  • There is also an increasing practice amongst insurance payers that are no longer contracting with individual providers and/or refusing rate increases, instead referring us to the tech platforms.

    • Even for providers who contract on an individual basis, reimbursement rates have always been incongruent with other healthcare services, the intensity of the work we do, and the general demand for mental health services.

• Many insurance plans have restrictions on provider location, such as being physically located in the same state as our clients while billing their plans. The only way to know when this applies is to investigate each person's specific plan.

• Seven major insurance companies just took over the formerly independent credentialing clearinghouse, which is not only mad suspect but also portends further encroachment on providers' ability to provide the care our folx actually need vs. catering to the financial whims of insurance companies.

When you pay out of pocket, use a therapy fund, or otherwise avoid using insurance to pay for your mental health care, you benefit from: 

• • Increased privacy – your health record remains free of info about your mental health that could impact security clearances, job eligibility, access to other healthcare, & more.

  • More flexibility – we can customize your care to your actual needs, rather than limits of insurance coverage.

  • Financial control – no worries about claim denials, loss of coverage, or insurance clawbacks.

  • A less stressed therapist – the administrative burden of accepting insurance is quite high – and we don't get paid for that time! This contributes to high burnout levels, which is the opposite of what you need in a therapist.

Tl;dr – there's a LOT of limitations & other undesireables that come along with utilizing insurance in psychotherapy. At the same time, there are other ways of making therapy financially accessible that benefit both clients and clinicians. Divesting from the insurance world helps me focus my energy on supporting both you and me.