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InRealLife45
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Location: Virginia
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Default Jun 11, 2014 at 12:46 PM
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by eskielover View Post
Since when do other insurance companies say they won't be involved with a provider that accepts medicare? That in itself is insane.....what does it matter to them if a provider offers services to someone on medicare or any other insurance coverage.....they should only be concerned about whether the provider accepts their coverage or not.

What it sounds to me like your provider didn't want to continue receiving the much reduces rates that medicare pays for coverage & that was probably more the reason why they dropped medicare. I had one private T where I lived before that dropped medicare also because she needed the higher rate coverage to live on after her divorce & dropped all the medicare patients/clients who chose NOT to pay the higher rate that she wanted.....she wasn't that great in the first place, so it didn't really matter to me.

However, my last psychologist & pdoc in Calif before I left chose which of their clients on medicare they were willing to continue with (those who had been with them for more than a certain number of years)....but wouldn't take any NEW patients on medicare......that sounded like the most reasonable way IMO of handling it.

So it does come down to the fact that the T does make the choices. I understand how you feel about her also.....if she would end up being willing to work with you & accept medicare for your coverage. I know that medicare refuses to pay over a certain reduced amount & then we pay an even smaller reduced amount lower than that, so even paying the reduced amount that medicare pays would be a problem IMO.

I don't think that the T's choices are specifically against YOU....but I think they are made for her own personal benefit & don't take her clients into consideration.....no one in specific, but any client who falls within that situation....& you just happened to be one of those who did.

I know it stinks.....& I know the feeling of not being able to find anyone else....but I know from my own experience that this last psychologist I found is one of the best in all the 20 years.....so we never know.....& this one in in a community mental health provider group which I wouldn't have even considered in Calif....but much better than any private provider...both her & my DBT group leader are better than any of the other psychologists I have ever had......have been so excited to learn what they have to offer.....so you never know what might be out there even if you feel you are better off with none.
Eskie, I am on SSI-I have medicare/medi-cal. My insurance company specifically contracts with medicare/medi-cal. When my t opted out of accepting medicare, she became ineligible to be a provider for an insurance company that exclusively handles medicare/medi-cal.

Yes she has definitely been upset by the reduced fees of medicare.medi-cal and has refused to accept any new patients with that insurance, but she only has 5 clients with this insurance, and most of them have cash co-pays (I'm the only one who doesnt.)

I just think its interesting..on monday she told me if I stopped coming to therapy I would die, that I would self destruct.

On the following Saturday she sends me an email that basically says "sorry I can never see you again unless you cough up $120, $45 more than what I've been accepting from your insurance. I understand it will be next to impossible for you to come up with this, and I'm so sorry it had to happen to this way."

It just feels very cold and clinical very uncaring, very..money hungry, when she never really struck me that way before.
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