Most clients seek therapy to improve relationships or transition through “rough patches," but to an insurance company review board these are not acceptable reasons. To be approved for therapy, the therapist must make a case that therapy is “medically necessary” which involves labeling the client with a mental health diagnosis. This is often required after the first visit, and then becomes part of the client’s permanent health record.
Your mental health records won’t be used against you.
Did you know that your health records may limit your ability to qualify for health or life insurance or require that you pay substantially higher premiums in the future? The personal details of therapy are often entered into a database called the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) by your insurance company. The medical information on over 16 million people is currently housed in this database. Other providers, insurance companies and even non-medical services like personnel departments may have access to this information for the purposes of evaluating you. Mental health diagnoses, even the temporary use of anti-depressant medication, have been reported to backfire on consumers who have applied for individual insurance coverage. It is unclear to what extent the personal health information in the MIB may be used or for how long it is stored in the database.
Your confidentiality will not be compromised.
To be reimbursed by an insurance company I would have to label you with a diagnosis and submit constant updates on symptoms and what is happening in the therapy room. These may be scrutinized by the insurance company so in order to ensure continuation of treatment.
You are making decisions about your treatment not a managed care panel.
Many insurance companies provide payment only for certain approaches of therapy (short-term and problem-focused) and many others won’t pay for family therapy even when the client is a child and the parents are vital to the therapeutic process. Obviously, it is in the best interest of the insurance company to pay as little as possible for services, work only with the same group of providers rather than a broad range of specialists and to end therapy as quickly as possible. None of these motives address the best interest of the client.
In summary, here are very good reasons to pay privately for therapy:
•You choose the therapist best suited to your needs rather than the insurance company telling you who to see.
•You have flexibility in the type of therapy, who to include in the therapy session and the length of services.
•You or your child won’t be labeled with a mental health diagnosis unless you request this type of assessment.
•You will have complete confidentiality. Your records will not be shared with anyone without your permission. In fact, no one else will know you are in therapy unless you tell them.
•You won’t have to worry that your health records will be included in the MIB and create problems for you or your child in the future.
•You will be able to stay with your therapist even if your insurance plan coverage changes.