| In short, the secret is this: all the information your | | | | first approved sessions. If you and your counselor think |
| insurance company collects on you can and will be | | | | more sessions would be helpful to you, your counselor |
| used against you. Upfront, you may get some or most | | | | will need to spend time on the phone talking to your |
| of your mental health costs paid for. However, your | | | | insurance company about your progress. This |
| insurance company collects tons of personal | | | | conversation will pass more information about you to |
| information about you and your family before they pay | | | | the insurance company that your counselor has |
| up. Once that information goes to Internet data banks | | | | collected in those first sessions. Although discretion |
| (and it always does), you have lost control over how | | | | may be used by the person at the insurance company |
| that information is used. | | | | collecting the information, anything your counselor |
| Health care insurance companies are not your friends. | | | | knows about you is fair game. |
| They make huge profits betting against you and your | | | | If the caseworker at the insurance company agrees |
| health and they know more about your health than | | | | that you have continuing medical necessity for more |
| you do. In all likelihood they know more about you than | | | | counseling, another set number of sessions will be |
| you do their business practices and secrets. | | | | granted. And so the process goes until you've |
| Perhaps you have paid health insurance premiums for | | | | exhausted the annual number of sessions your |
| years. You know you have mental health coverage | | | | insurance company has provided on your particular |
| and so for some reason you decide to use it, perhaps | | | | policy. After that, any additional mental health treatment |
| to help yourself through a tough time in life. Naturally | | | | comes out of your pocket. |
| you feel you deserve to use your insurance benefits | | | | The risks you run for using insurance benefits for |
| and to have your insurance company cover the | | | | counseling are three: 1) Loss of privacy for you with all |
| counseling. | | | | of the personal information collected about you and |
| Unfortunately it's not that simple. Yes, you've paid the | | | | your family. 2) You and your counselor lose control |
| premiums for years. No, there is much more to do | | | | over the counseling process and how long it goes on. |
| before your benefits can be accessed. First, you must | | | | Finally, information collected about you by your |
| spend time on the phone or the Internet getting prior | | | | insurance company is shared with any other insurance |
| approval for counseling. Insurance companies call this | | | | companies which may need it to make a decision |
| "determining medical necessity." Otherwise, the | | | | about whether you are insurable for other forms of |
| counselor you go to will not be paid. You saying you | | | | coverage such as life insurance, disability insurance and |
| want or need counseling is not enough. Insurance | | | | in some cases, automobile insurance. |
| companies want to determine that for themselves. To | | | | Think twice before using your insurance benefits for |
| do this, they will ask you many, personal questions. All | | | | counseling. Mental health is the most stigmatized |
| that personal information is kept in their data banks and | | | | aspect of your health. You can have treatment for |
| to my knowledge, never deleted. | | | | STDs through your insurance benefits and it will not |
| Assuming you convince the insurance folks you really | | | | stigmatize you like one counseling session on your |
| do need counseling, they will approve a few, usually 2 | | | | insurance record. In the long run, it may be worth it to |
| to 3, initial counseling sessions with a particular | | | | you to get the counseling you need and pay |
| counselor who is in their network and has agreed to | | | | out-of-pocket rather than to use your so called |
| work for the insurance company at a reduced rate. | | | | insurance benefits. |
| The next hurdle comes when you have used up those | | | | |