Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with insurance and therapy

What makes therapy worth it?

Anonymous — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:28:03 -0800

New to Therapy: My 3rd and final free therapy session through my company's EAP program is this afternoon, is there some 3 session progress meter I should be looking for to help decide if i want to continue paying for this? On a particularly 'blah' day i decided to look into therapy. No particular issues are bugging me, maybe a little ennui and some self-image issues, but i can't imagine anything out of the norm for a 30 something big city dwelling single person.

My employer pays for three free sessions, after that it's a $40 copay, which while it won't break the bank, is still $40 for something i'm not sure i need or am getting any benefit from.

The first session was great, i just kind of talked with no real purpose, just told her what was on my mind. It felt very cathartic to tell a complete stranger things i had been internalizing for years and years - lack of spark with my partner, eating issues, feeling that something is 'missing'. She gave probing follow-up questions, and made some sweeping generalizations ("sounds like you like being so nice to people that you get walked on" - which i don't agree with)

Second session was awkward, she just asked me to start talking again, and frankly, i had kind of gotten it all out of my system the first time. I started blathering about my thoughts on politics and my relationships with my family (all healthy)

Before she scheduled the third and final free appointment, she asked me if i felt that therapy was productive, and I honestly have no idea. She said we were 'working through some things' but has yet to tell me what they are, and I'm not sure I want to pay $40 just to talk to a complete stranger about how my week went.

Clearly something is going on enough that i made that first call, and the first session felt AWESOME, but how can I make therapy productive enough to justify both the cost and hour each week in my schedule?

How do I even know it's something i need, clearly she wants my business so isn't exactly a unbiased barometer.

How can I tell a therapist that Ive done something illegal?

Anonymous — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:38:29 -0800

How can I tell a therapist that Ive done something illegal? I drunkenly did something that I am quite ashamed of and got me kicked out of my living situation. And could have resulted in prosecution. I feel it could be because of some long ignored issues, and I may need professional help working through it so it doesnt happen again or manifest itself dangerously in some other way.

But- I am still covered under my parent's insurance, and have the same privacy concerns mentioned here

So:
1) How can I explain the situation to a therapist in order for them to help without worrying about possibly incriminating myself or the information later coming out somehow?

2) How can I pay for the visit(s) without my folks seeing therapist visits showing up on the insurance and asking questions?

Throwaway email: ashamed.afraid@gmail.com

Will the tinfoil hat also cover up my crazyness?

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:44:13 -0800

What is the privacy downside of seeing a therapist using my insurance plan? OK, I need to do something - and probably seeing a headshrinker is a good start. I am covered by my employers insurance plan through CIGNA:
http://apps.cignabehavioral.com/home.html

However, I am a bit of a nut (so to speak) regarding privacy, and based on my career, it is not unlikely that I will have to eventually get government security clearance.

What kind of information is shared between my shrink and anyone but me (employer, insurance company, [any others?]), assuming I am not a threat to myself or anyone else? Does this kind of thing derail careers? Prevent the NSA from trusting you? Should I just pay out of pocket and not give correct personal information?

How do I get life insurance without disclosing the skeevy details of therapy?

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:40:43 -0800

Is there a way to get life insurance without the underwriter seeing the complete records of my two-plus years in therapy? There's nothing earth-shattering: Just a standard-issue case of depression and anxiety that, thanks to psychotherapy with a good shrink and a low dose of Lexapro, is now well under control. But the insurance company won't accept a letter from my doc saying simply that he treated me and that I have responded well. The rep assures me that only the underwriter will see the records of my treatment, and, like I said, there's nothing terribly shocking in there ... but it's intimate, personal stuff that I'd like to keep as private as possible. Any thoughts?

Depressed and uninsured. What now?

mostlymartha — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:31:47 -0800

I've finally acknowledged that I'm pretty seriously depressed. I don't have insurance and live in San Francisco. What should I do? After a tough weekend, I’m willing to (finally) admit that I’m depressed. I have been for at least a year, but that year was so filled with external difficulties that I was able to blame all the bad feelings on what was going on outside to avoid dealing with what was going on inside. I mean, my abusive, alcoholic father died, my fiance and I both spent a significant period of time unemployed (which led to some very scary, no money for food-type financial problems), and there have been some almost hilarious, Southern Gothic extended family issues. Those things are starting to resolve, but I’m feeling worse rather than better.

I have a history of anxiety and depression, so I don’t know why I’ve been so reluctant to call this particular emotional spade a spade. The last time I felt this bad was during my senior year in high school when I had a nice little nervous breakdown that almost resulted in hospitalization. I feel myself nearing that point again and I’d certainly like to avoid it.

When this happened in the past, I had insurance to pay for meds and counseling. Now I don’t and I don’t even know where to start looking for the help I know I need. I’m scared that this cycle of depression and panic attacks is going to take over my life again. What now? I live in San Francisco. What kind of resources are there and where do I start?

Non-fiduciary costs to using insurance for therapy?

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 08:08:10 -0800

What's the real story with using health insurance for mental health services, related privacy issues, and how it affects one's ability to get insurance coverage in the future? After an extended period of consideration, I've decided to seek counselling for what I think are relatively minor issues, and for what I hope will be a relatively short time. (In my rich fantasy life, this means 10-12 sessions over a few months, but I know that may not be realistic.)

Naturally, I'd like to avail myself of the generous health insurance benefits supplied by my employer, but I've known many, many people who choose to keep therapy "off the books" due to concerns about privacy and future coverage. What's the real story? Is it worth it to keep counselling records out of your insurance company's hands? What are the potential repurcussions of using insurance for therapy?

(And one more potentially relevant note: I'm employed full-time, but in the past I've sometimes been self-employed. It's entirely possible that one day I'll want to be self-employed again, in which case I'll have to secure my own insurance.)

Thanks.

Now what?

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 10:55:19 -0800

Maybe I have a couple problems. The first one probably stems from the second. Insurance won't cover therapy or medication. Is there any place in Baltimore, MD that offers free or very low-cost assistance? Thank you.

Supplemental Mental Health Insurance in the U.S.

Anonymous — Sun, 19 Dec 2004 18:09:27 -0800

I am in search of supplemental mental health insurance (in the US). Does such a thing exist? I'm a full-time grad student about to lose my awesome COBRA benefits from my past job. I'm going on to my husband's plan, which has crappy mental health coverage (only 20 therapist visits a year vs. 45 with my last insurance). I need weekly visits, but there's no way to change the plan. I've googled for supplemental health insurance, but I mostly get sites for those on Medicare. I've checked several major insurance companies, but none have any specifics about their mental health coverage. Has anyone else dealt with this situation? Perhaps someone who works in the insurance industry can point me in the right direction?