The Unfairness Between Mental Health Services & Insurance Companies

Working at a psychiatric hospital during the 2010’s was a wake up call for me. I remember wanting to set up service for an individual but was unable to do so because of their insurance. You would think as long as someone has insurance they’re covered right…but I was sadly mistaken. This insurance challenge is no stranger to people in the mental health field. Which leads to more frustration and confusing when a clinical teams discuss next steps for ongoing care.

This helps with the stigma of mental health. When it becomes a circle to receive services, individuals walk away, leaving a lot of unanswered questions and treatment on the table. The lack of insurance coverage is also the reason many clinicians move to private pay. When you have private pay participants you no longer have to deal with the burden of insurance carriers, denied claims, or the delay of receiving payment for your services.

For services like Psychiatric Rehabilitation Programs (PRP), commercial insurance do not consider these programs as a medical necessity. They do not believe these kinds of programs are beneficial and believes there are less expensive programs for their insurers. How can they determine what is best for someone’s care, especially if they are only reading their case from a piece of paper? Due to this, families are pushed to switch to Medicaid which allows individuals to receive services that commercial insurance would not think twice about paying.

Many family members prefer for their children to be on their plan because overall it makes sense. When you are already paying for a family plan, why complicate things and file paperwork to receive state insurance? This puts families in a bind especially when they know their loved one will not get the same care because oftentimes it’s rare a practice will see people who have medicaid and commercial insurance within the same practice. It’s either you see individuals with state insurance or those with commercial coverage. A change in services can hinder the individuals treatment causing more disruptions in their care.

Insurance companies collectively is projected to make over 450 billion dollars this year, 2025 alone, and the fact that people are struggling to receive mental health care is absorb. There is a lack in this system when it comes to mental health and wellness. People are living in times where their emotional wellbeing is on thin ice. The uncertainty of this country can lead anyone’s mind in shambles, the cost of groceries is rising and certain political parties continue to turn a blind eye. We are in dire need in this country and mental health challenges will be on the rise, if they are not already.

It’s disheartening to know the billion dollar insurance companies gladly take payments from working families, leaving them with little or not support when it comes to their mental health and wellbeing. There needs to be a stand in this and we have to find away to close that gap on care.

Magazines Are Not Dead

Let me be the fist to tell you…magazines are not a thing of the past! Prior to creating Helpful Living Magazine I was in awe with how one issue provided valuable information. There are so many different magazines that caters to different needs. It’s hard to put everything in one magazine. I guess that’s why there’s so many!

Do you remember reading through Seventeen Magazine during your adolescent years? What about Ebony or Essence? They have flawless photos and relatable content that made me more knowledgable prior to engaging in their latest issue. Or how about the models or the clothes…wait do you remember the perfume or cologne section? I gravitated to those pages every time I open up a magazine.

One thing I realized is this…magazines are credible resources. If you are in a magazine, someone is paying attention to you. And that my friend is a reason to celebrate! Hence why I created Helpful Living Magazine. To celebrate those who work with the mental health population. They have been through a lot, even more so with the pandemic. Wouldn’t it be nice to provide a platform for the people who help us everyday, with our emotional and mental health? You know it’s true…I see you nodding your heads.

Magazines are…

Creditable: No one is going to write something about you just for kicks and giggles. You serve a purpose and as I mentioned above, it is something you should be recognized for. So kudos if you have ever written, been featured, or even did an advertising in the magazine. There were some eyes looking at you and you know what, you probably changed their life.

Fun: There’s so many magazines like I mentioned before, and that’s because there are billions of people living on this Earth. It would be daunting to the publishing companies if there were limited genres of magazines. That’s what makes it fun for readers. They can pick what they want, and some magazines have activities, recipes, and DIY things you can get involved in. It’s also something that is great to look forward to, especially if you like to do vision boards.

5 Useful Benefits of Magazine Advertising for Businesses: By Megha Shah

Provides Resources: Have you ever read a blog and forgot where it was? Or couldn’t put your finger on who the writer was? Well with magazines you have a lot less to look through. Let’s face it, the internet is a big place, having magazines narrow down your search and you can always have that favorite issue on your coffee table or night stand. There’s a lot of resources in one magazine, a personal story could be a resource, or a list of providers is a great directory for those who are looking for some kind of care or treatment.

Overall magazines are amazing and that’s why you see them everywhere. You may even have a few in your house, and if you read them I will assure you, there is something in there you can gain clarity on.

Let’s Chat…what’s your favorite magazine, or share an article you read that still is embedded in your head til’ this day.