Why don’t any therapists take my insurance?

I am writing this for two reasons. First, I get a lot of calls from people who tell me that they have called 10 or more different therapists and none of them are taking insurance anymore OR everyone who takes insurance is “full”. The second reason, and more important reason is that when I am talking to clients on the phone, I hear them getting very discouraged and sounding like they are giving up on finding a therapist because none of them take insurance.  The one thing I really want you to take away from this blog post is….DON’T GIVE UP!!!! Having a desire to be the best person you can be is a GREAT GOAL!! Imagine if all the leaders in the world had that goal.  And all of them sought out a therapist to help them with that goal… We would probably have a few less wars.  So…Please keep reading and please find yourself a therapist.

I was on insurance panels for 14 years. In that time, I never got a raise from the insurance companies (and yes, I did request a raise). Therapists make the same today from the insurance companies as they did 15-20 years ago. So a therapists’ malpractice insurance goes up, rent for their office goes up, the cost of hiring someone (if the therapist has someone) to do their billing for them goes up, yet they are getting paid the same as they did 20 years ago. It is unfortunate because therapy tends to be a weekly or biweekly thing that ends up being very costly for individuals.

Another thing that therapists face that most other licensed professionals don’t deal with is that when people start, therapy is usually weekly or biweekly.  So if you go to a doctor once per year and the insurance denies the claim, you pay $300 and you are done.   If an insurance company denies the claim when you see a therapist (usually insurance companies take 2-3 months to pay), then we have to call a client and say that they owe for the last 3 months at 4 sessions per month.  That never turns out well and we end up eating the cost because most people just simply can’t afford to pay a chunk like that.   I have found that when clients expect that they are paying upfront, then submit their receipt to their insurance, and then they get money back from their insurance they weren’t expecting, that is a pleasant surprise.  Whereas getting a call from the therapist saying they owe money is not so pleasant.

Additionally, there have been many times where I see a client, the insurance pays, and all seems good.  Then a year later, I get a bill from the insurance because changed their mind and they ask me (the therapist) to reimburse the insurance company for the hundreds of dollars they paid in the past year because they paid me by mistake when therapy wasn’t really part of the clients insurance plan after all.  So I have to write a check to the insurance company for that money or they will send me to collections.   They know that the time and money it would cost me to fight something like that isn’t worth it, so I end up having to pay.  If I call a client after a year and explain the situation, how likely is it that a client can afford to pay me?  There are also clients that get upset at the therapist because somehow the therapist should have been aware that the insurance company will change their mind.  It is a very unfair position for a client to be in.

So instead of taking insurance, I give discounts to full time college students, veterans and offer a sliding scale to people who cannot afford it (based on income).  Instead of giving the insurance companies a “break”, I like to see a CLIENT getting a “break” or reduced fee for once.

I am in limbo with insurance companies. I have told the insurance companies that I am closed to new clients, however I am waiting to completely end my contract until the clients that I currently have with insurance no longer need to see me because I don’t want to put them in a situation where they have to start all over with another therapist who takes their insurance.

I hope this helps. Even if you are hoping to use insurance, don’t give up!! You will eventually find someone who takes insurance and you can get the help that you need.  I just want to give you feedback because when you call 10 therapists and all of them are full, DON’T GIVE UP!!