Insurance matters
In recent weeks many of you have complained about your healthcare. Doctors who do not return calls, increased premiums, concerns about coverage for mental health and/or addiction treatment, and coverage for chronic medical conditions (mental or physical) and long term care. On my end, it has been becoming increasingly harder and harder to accept how insurance companies are choosing to treat mental health professionals. Several insurers have dropped their fees below a livable level. One has dropped their fee by 30%! My experience has been that once one insurer lowers their fees it is not long before they all do. Many insurance carriers are instituting policies such as “wellness and outcome assessments” where THEY, not you and I, determine whether or not you need to be in psychotherapy! This is the state of health care today. Last week PBS’s Frontiline aired a report about healthcare in America. A healthcare specialist said that he was not optimistic about improvements to the system. His reasoning is that doctors and hospitals won’t reduce their fees and patients demand too many services!!! This specialist ignored his own compensation package and the fact that the healthcare insurers are posting significant profits.
Depreciation of mental health
I realize that in these times when so many of our fellow citizens are out of work and in dire straits my own concerns about mental health care may seem minor. However, I have a view of mental health that differs from insurers. My view of mental health involves every person using their full capabilities to contribute to betterment of humanity. This is how we find happiness. We see ourselves as part of the human community and as such link our happiness to the happiness of other people. Psychotherapy is the art and science of enabling people to find this sort of happiness. This can only be done in a personal relationship that systematically and collaboratively assists another person to discover their place in the human family and encourages an interest, a passion, in making a meaningful contribution.
The view of insurance companies is that you should be medicated with the latest neuro-toxin and talk to a computer for a few “coping sessions” so you can go down to the mall and buy stuff.! OK, that is depreciating. There are the realities of cost. We are all reminded of that everyday. However, don’t we also need to be reminded everyday about what is possible in a society that doesn’t reduce everything in the human experience to an economic unit. We all have values and goals. As a community we need to decide what we are going to do with our resources to match the kind of community we wish to live in.
Isn’t overcoming a depression, saving a marriage, ending a marriage gracefully, helping a college student find something to commit to, overcoming an addiction, coping with the loss of a loved one, coping with chronic medical conditions, helping a son or daughter overcome an addiction, dealing a job loss, putting an end to a lifelong pattern of self-defeating behavior as important as fixing a car? Or buying stuff at the mall? As individuals we need to decide what we are going to do with our resources to match the kind of person we wish to become.
Healthcare is a crucial ingredient to building a world where all citizens are encouraged to use their capabilities for the betterment our society.
Call to Action
I want to thank you for reading this rather lengthy notice. Change is difficult to accept yet we are all in a world of change that requires acceptance, choice, and action. I think it is important for all of us to become as aware of healthcare issues as we can and become active in shaping our country’s healthcare policies. If we don’t the people who only think in terms of numbers will decide for us.
As for our more immediate concerns I want to remind you at this time that I WILL CONTINUE TO TREAT ALL OF YOU REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR INSURANCE. We will find a solution that is both financially acceptable and therapeutically appropriate.
I will be revamping my website in the coming months and post any updates on these matters on my Web Log.
Regards,