StaffUsing Health Insurance for Psychotherapy Claims
Before the launch of the Affordable Care Act at the beginning of 2014, concern over the effect pre-existing mental health conditions might have on the price or availability of health-care insurance were valid. It was understood that insurance companies might deny coverage to a person who had a history of depression or some other mental disorder. However, companies are now precluded from considering pre-existing conditions when selling health insurance policies (except for certain individual policies existing before 2014). This does not apply to life insurance policies and life underwriters are still free to consider pre-existing conditions, both mental and physical, when rating people applying for coverage. However, using health insurance for mental health issues should not cause problems for the health-care insured as it has in the past.
This particular aspect of the Affordable Care Act is good news. It means people with concerns over mental health issues can access care using their insurance without worrying about future availability or cost, at least as it relates to most health insurance policies. Adequate care of mental health issues actually reduces the overall cost of health care and increases workplace productivity, so this is also good news for society as well. Assuming the Affordable Care Act, or at least the pre-existing condition element from it, perseveres, it makes sense that more people will access treatment for mental health issues without fear.
Even so, many psychotherapy clients of Andrews & Associates choose to pay privately for their therapy sessions rather than access their health insurance for reimbursement. Often this is done because of a concern over confidentiality. Even with the pre-existing condition elements of the Affordable Care Act, using insurance to pay for any physical or mental health services still means the payer has access to your protected health information. While the old-fashioned stigma of visiting a mental health professional has greatly disappeared, most people do not want others having access to their therapy files. Therapy is, typically, a private, personal process and confidentiality is a concern of all professionals. However, to maintain tighter control on mental health expenditures, third-party payers may insist on having full access to client records.
To help clients afford mental health care while avoiding potential problems with insurance, either health or life, Andrews & Associates has developed a program that keeps costs down and maintains the highest possible level of client confidentiality. (Click here for more information about this program and our fees.)