Take the time to read this article, it's one of the most depressing examples of the thing nobody wants to talk about.
Heartbreaking and no different from what I, and others that I know, have gone through. My attempt a year ago was after desperately looking 2 months for options that I was "eligible" for. I understand insurance, I've spent my entire career in building IT solutions for insurance companies. I understand the reasons for the desperate shortage of providers, to minimal insurance benefits, to why providers would or wouldn't want to be in an insurance network. What I needed wasn't normal therapy - that's been tried for 25 years, along with dozens of meds, constant medicine trials, physical approaches - but it falls under mental healthcare providers. But people can't find any help anywhere.
Not a single network on a single plan in a single state has more than the bare minimum coverages, if that, for mental health care. And what little coverage is provided has on average the fewest number of network practitioners per square mile than any other licensed profession. The shortage and huge demand diminish enticements to be in insurance networks that limit their fees. Pay is low and everybody knows it's an overwhelming industry. It's like wanting to be a teacher.
In the Des Moines metro area, you can find dozens of therapists and clinics... but most don't take any insurance because the demand is so much greater than the supply of doctors so they don't need the referral traffic (same thing happens in Dental). Out of the 75-ish providers I called looking for any that were in network, roughly 5 worked with my medical carrier (1 of top 2 in state), and none were in the specific network. Several laughed at me. Even trying out of pocket, most places have waiting lists of new patients well over 1-2 years long.
I'm not even going to start on my rant about the state of healthcare services and options for youth. My apples (kids) not only didn't fall far from the tree (me), they inherited all of my issues. Trying desperately to get them help is the worst experience you can go through that doesn't involve violence or death. We only skipped the 1-3 year waiting lists by knowing an amazing provider that happened to recognize my name from CF. That's maddening.
We need to reset priorities in this country from giving a **** about bathrooms, bedrooms, books, guns, and other things when one of the most important epidemics ever is taking place right in front of our eyes.
Early one morning in February 2023, before the sun rose over Phoenix, Ravi Coutinho went on a walk and, for a brief moment, thought about hurling his body in front of a moving bus. He had been feeling increasingly alone and depressed; anxious and unlovable; no longer sure if he was built for...
www.rawstory.com
