this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2023
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Yeah, but when therapy costs $100-$200 per session and is not always covered by health insurance (in the US at least) what else are you going to do? In most places in the US it’s also very very very hard to get in to see an actual Psychologist, and nigh on impossible to get in to a Psychiatrist, so most people are stuck with LSCWs who are not competent at all, and often times make matters worse. Mental healthcare in the US is an absolute joke.
https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/mental-health-substance-abuse-coverage/
Boom, look what government regulation of healthcare can do.
That is only if you get healthcare through the ACA healthcare marketplace. Those plans cost upward of $400 a month. While private healthcare plans do sometimes cover mental healthcare, you then have to find a mental healthcare provider that accepts your health insurance. They are not required to accept all healthcare plans and that can mean you have to drive 1+ hours away for mental health appointments. Under my insurance the closest psychiatrist that takes me healthcare is two hours away, and they have an eight month wait list. That was the one I got to actually call me back to find that out. The other ones 2+ hours away never even bothered to call me back.
I got tried to get on the wait list for the local healthcare group that has a few psychologists on staff last October. They told me it would be two months before someone reached out to me to set up an actual appointment. It is now August 2023 and I’ve still never been contacted.
No, ACA compliant plans are the standard, including employer-sponsored plans.
Every ACA compliant plan has the same list of minimum coverages, including the above.
Every state-run plan under Medicare and Medicaid are also ACA compliant.
If you've chosen a non-compliant plan, or opted to skip your state's healthcare exchange, or are unlucky enough to live in a state where Republicans have tried to fuck you over by not expanding Medicaid under the ACA, I'm sorry.
None of those things, though, affect the mental healthcare provider shortage in this country, though. If you're still waiting for an appointment, perhaps you should call back and check for open slots regularly?