An Inside View of the Mental Health Crisis Facing This Country
And how universal health care could alleviate it
I just had my first session with a new mental health provider. Although I live in a state with some of the best medical care in the world and am covered by Medicare, it took me months to find a therapist with an opening for me. Luckily for me, I am married to a clinical psychologist who happened to have a colleague with a bit of available time.
I’m also very lucky because I’m able to afford the sessions. You see, my new therapist has made the very logical decision to stop accepting insurance payments. All of her patients are required to pay out of pocket to see her.
Before you get angry and start thinking that the therapist is just being greedy, let me give you a glimpse into the world of mental health providers.
While I am not a mental health professional myself, I have been married to one for 44 years. I help with his billing, his record-keeping, and his insurance processing. I listen every night as he processes the frustrations of his day.
For all of these years, my husband and I have seen the incredible disparity with which mental health services are covered by private insurance companies.
