Providers, patients and even some federal judges say progress-based insurance denials harm patients at key moments of mental health treatment.

  • Feelfold@lemm.ee
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    5 days ago

    Friend, I think you’ve drunk the Kool-aid.

    The only reason the ADA can get away with recommending you brush your teeth 120 minues a month is, tooth brushes are cheep. The product don’t cost insurance companies a dime. If tooth brushes cost $150 + an hour, you’d get 6 a year, so long as you’d met your deductible.

    Mental health services are not just for folks who aren’t doing well. Mental health services are prophylactic! To say that only folks not doing well need metal health services is medical model propaganda that the profit driven insurance industry wants you as a provider to buy into. They know they’re screwing you over too! Remember when they made you sign a contract to not share your payout rates with other clinicians so you can’t collectively bargain? The mental health parity act languished for ~ 16 years, and it’s still a joke.

    The term “Medical necessity” is corporate speak for “lower profits”, and implies providers would be wide spread abusing the system if not for constant oversight. Meanwhile, they make billions on you, and your colleagues stolen labor.

    • Dragon Rider (drag)@lemmy.nz
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      4 days ago

      On the other hand, it’s not like there are thousands of psychologists sitting around all day with nothing to do.

      The best solution is to make it easier to become a mental health professional. More scholarships, more lower level training.

      • Feelfold@lemm.ee
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        4 days ago

        Before making it easier to become a mental health professional, we might think about retention. The APA figured a decade ago 65% of PhD (Psychology, not Psychiatry) students dropped out before program completion. The number that I’ve seen floated, but can’t find a source other than from the UK is, 89% of mental health practitioners leave the field within two years of graduation. Poor pay, and insurance industry woes are almost aways cited as top reasons why.

      • AnIndefiniteArticle@sh.itjust.works
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        4 days ago

        Should they pay for high quality childcare, housing and healthy food too?

        Yes.

        Remove the for profit “health” insurance companies and provide people with these things. It will reduce our societal costs and improve outcomes for all.

      • Assian_Candor [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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        4 days ago

        How is paying for prophylactic counseling any different than paying for routine checkups?

        Like surely you have patients who need meds or their lives fall apart but are otherwise doing just fine? Quick check in once a month and everyone goes on their merry way?

        Why should somebody’s access to care be compromised because they are feeling better? This isn’t bronchitis these are lifelong conditions

      • Senal@programming.dev
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        4 days ago

        They should pay for prophylactic counseling?

        Yes, because prevention is superior to treatment after the fact in both outcomes & overall cost.

        Though it seems you have a differing understanding of “Medically Necessary” to my own so i suspect we won’t agree on this.

        “For profit healthcare” is a misnomer is should be called something like “profit equilibrium maintenance : healthcare edition”

        The best outcome for a “for profit” is profit, not healthcare. Given the choice between larger profits and better healthcare outcomes the profit will win out, every time.