[Willowtrees]

Im really at my last thread here if this therapist does not help. She is the only person I can see in my city as far as I am aware. Of course I am giving it a good chance before writing it off. If it doesnt work though, I will need to move. Things are getting out of control and I need care. Which city/state, in your opinion, would be best to move to to get DID care if you dont have great insurance? If youre willing to share your state, do you feel you are getting good care there? What I want to know is things like how difficult it is to find a doctor, how many options there are, how knowledgable hospitals are, etc. If any of you have suggestions please let me know. Also, are there any other english speaking countries that you feel could have better care than the USA? That is how desperate I am.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Willowtrees

Im really at my last thread here if this therapist does not help. She is the only person I can see in my city as far as I am aware. Of course I am giving it a good chance before writing it off. If it doesnt work though, I will need to move. Things are getting out of control and I need care. Which city/state, in your opinion, would be best to move to to get DID care if you dont have great insurance? If youre willing to share your state, do you feel you are getting good care there? What I want to know is things like how difficult it is to find a doctor, how many options there are, how knowledgable hospitals are, etc. If any of you have suggestions please let me know. Also, are there any other english speaking countries that you feel could have better care than the USA? That is how desperate I am.

my opinion is there is no best state/best country for DID and treatment there of. I live in NY, USA and yes I feel I am getting good health care and have a wonderful therapist. i do have insurance....here in the USA we now have a nation wide law called Obama care that states all Americans must have basic mental and physical health insurance that is either private insurance or state (medicaid/medicare) insurance plans. those with no insurance plans will soon be getting charged hefty penalty fees (which can go as high as $285.00 each month without insurance) unless they live in one of the states that filed for and got approved for exemption, 21 states have filed, but the last time I checked only 7 states received their exemptions. NY is a state that is not exempt from the law.

I have found that it isnt about which city state country you live in that dpends on whether you get good treatment for mental disorders including DID. treatment for mental disorders is like any other aspect of life, it takes time to find that one thing that work for you, each person is different...one person may respond to this meds where as another person responds to that meds, one person may be able to work with a treatment provider that is strictly by the book, pushes you to work hard every step of the way with no give\flexibility and others work well with a treatment provider who is more flexible\laid back, chatting with an old friend therapeutic atmosphere.

for some people they find that treatment provider that is right for them first thing and others end up seeing many treatment providers and many treatment plans, many insurance plans, and pay out of pocket times before they are able to find what works for them.

my suggestion dont worry so much about what you find out online. bottom line is for every person who has a good treatment plan good treatment provider there is someone out there with what they feel is the worst treatment plan and worst treatment provider. so the best thing you can do is contact your insurance provider. they will have a list of treatment providers that they can send you, most if not all insurance plan providers send out their member booklet of rights responsibilities, how the plan works, what plan you signed up for and a list of mental and physical health treatment providers your plan covers. if you are not insured yet and live in the USA you can go to your states enrollment website for obama care or go to your social services office (same office where you apply for welfare) they can help you get signed up for an insurance plan that is right for you, or the states medicaid program which has basic mental and physical health care.

once you have that list of treatment providers sit down and decide what you want and expect from seeing a mental health treatment provider, then start calling around, most if not all mental health agencies in the USA will do a consult appointment where they will meet with you so that you can tell them about yourself, your problem and ask them questions, get a feel for if they are right for you.

[Restin]

I live in central Florida near Orlando, and there is a lot here in the way of help with any psychiatric problem, including DID and all kinds of therapy. My T isn't trained specifically in DID but is doing a great job with mine anyway.

There are many different payment options beside medicaid that might be better, as Medicaid is the bottom rung and so restrictive: There's the sliding scale some private therapists and private clinics show on their web sites.I got a chart that shows $35 a session is the appropriate sliding scale charge if your income is less than $30,000 annually. Of course, there's Obama Care, and Medicare plans if you're older. I'm not with an Obama plan, but I understand it has many different plans and exceptions for those with limited income.
The main thing is your own personal financial situation. Many therapists and clinics have a set cost, but there's a lot of flexibility if you call them and have an intake appointment. It sometimes says on their web site.

I know all this because I changed therapists several times, been here a long time, and always worried my T will ditch me (part of my illness). I get on the computer and look up everything available(yek, ad nausium) They do often call back and usually answer an email.
Best place to start, I think, when you have financial problems, is with the county mental health clinic, where they have a financial review to see what kind of payment plan you qualify for, and sometimes can be $5, or even without any charge, depending.

[Kiya]

I was going to say there isn't one... but yeah, I have heard Flordia has more options than most. I don't know if they take Medicaid but would ask before moving there -and ask about wait times. I waited a year for a place here and they just called me Thursday... only to learn that even though she's fairly trained in DID, she has absolutely no outside-of-therapy-crisis-care. That doesn't work for me. And I would have a co-pay when I'm not supposed to have a co-pay, due to the Obama Plan. Getting people to understand that is like pulling teeth. "I'd try to get back to you in 2-3 days if you called". I don't call "just because", and calling crisis centers are a joke. So back to square one. Our schedules didn't match anyway.
At least you have Medicaid vs Medicare... LOTS of providers all across the country are dropping Medicare because they won't pay (and now pay 2% less than they used to).
I understand that Fla. even has at least one good DID hospital.... course, there's the insurance factor. Seems like no one other than the East Coast and Texas gets it. I tried to get an out of state hospital to take me for a bit... they won't even return my calls. :/
I wish you the best!

we are in florida too and while we now have been adopted by our now-ex counselor while we required outside counseling there was a good deal to be had though we arent quite sure which facilities are specifically for DID. we also do not have now nor will we at any time have the "obama care" nonsense. best of luck to you! ♥♥♥

[amandalouise]

florida is a state that does follows the Obamacare law ( Affordable Care Act) and is ...not ...exempt...here is a link for more information

What Florida Residents Need to Know About Obamacare

Do I Have to Get Obamacare in Florida?

What Happens If I Missed the Florida Obamacare Enrollment Deadline for 2015?

[amandalouise]

by .....exempt .....that does not mean the states do not have to follow the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare law.) it just means that each state can apply for special permission so that they do not have to expand their medicaid/medicare program to accept more people on medicaid and medicare if they dont want to. in those states that have received their exemptions just means they dont have to lower their income brackets for medicaid//medicare and increase their number of how many people they will accept on medicaid\medicare.

regardless of whether a state gets their exemption from expanding their medicaid/medicare program to meet the Obamacare standards all americans must now have basic mental and physical health insurance. in the states that have exemptions from expanding their medicaid/medicare programs those americans must get other insurance plans if they dont meet the existing medicaaid medicare standards, unless they meet other individual case by case exemptions. example if you are homeless are exempt from having to get \purchase healthcare insurance according to the law.

we dont have obama care because we dont want it. its as simple as that. what anyone else does is completely their business
nor can it be forced on us thanks!

[Willowtrees]

We do have insurance, we have medicaid. Thats part of the problem because many people do not take it. We cant afford a premium because we only get 700/mo. Two days ago I got a call from his therapist that she lost her licence and cannot see us. I called the insurance to see if they could find a good doctor but all they cared about was the medication, its meds meds meds in this state apparently. The places they recommend are walmart mental health facilities, to even get the meds there we would have to see a therapist that most likely has no idea what they are doing. The last counselor there literally told him she will have to pretend she knows more than him about psychology. I have to do the actual footwork myself and not much has come of it

Nivek

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by invisible butterfly

we dont have obama care because we dont want it. its as simple as that. what anyone else does is completely their business
nor can it be forced on us thanks!

yea I know, you are not alone I know a few people who are saving their money to pay for the annual 285.00 per person in their family for not having health insurance just out of principal of no one can force getting health insurance.

a few that I know have since caved and gotten insurance because they realized by getting insured they were actually saving money on therapy alone. let alone dental and medical, meds and such. instead of paying close to a thousand a month (therapy sessions, psychiatrist sessions, medications, ) they now pay $75. then the insurance picks up the rest of the costs. she said it was such a relief to be able to go to a medical doctor and not have to worry about how much food and meds and how many therapy sessions she would need to cancel in order to get seen by her medical doctor when she got sick.

my point is if it works for you to not have insurance and you are willing to pay the annual fee for not having insurance thats up to you. like you said no one can force you to have insurance.

me well I'd rather pay for insurance and have my family and I not have to worry about where the money was going to come from should my children, wife or I need medications, therapy, medical doctors, specialists and such. my therapy sessions alone was taking close to $800. a month during a very trying time i was going through because of dissociative problems and other problems I was dealing with in therapy. for me and my family I actually come out ahead financially by having insurance.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Willowtrees

We do have insurance, we have medicaid. Thats part of the problem because many people do not take it. We cant afford a premium because we only get 700/mo. Two days ago I got a call from his therapist that she lost her licence and cannot see us. I called the insurance to see if they could find a good doctor but all they cared about was the medication, its meds meds meds in this state apparently. The places they recommend are walmart mental health facilities, to even get the meds there we would have to see a therapist that most likely has no idea what they are doing. The last counselor there literally told him she will have to pretend she knows more than him about psychology. I have to do the actual footwork myself and not much has come of it

Nivek

medicaid insurance doesnt find a person treatment providers here in the USA. here you receive a booklet that tells you a list of treatment providers that are accepting your insurance plan. then you call those treatment providers your self and arrange to see someone on that list...

if you cant find your medicaid membership booklet contact your caseworker. your caseworker can send you another one or you can go in to their office and pick one up from the receptionist or in the lobby on the lobby information tables/bulletin\magazine racks. or any Social security \human services \welfare office will also have them free of charge.

if it works for you thats great but since we are on permanent disability we dont have any need of it plus we have free counseling so thats a non-issue.

I feel so screwed.

[Willowtrees]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

medicaid insurance doesnt find a person treatment providers here in the USA. here you receive a booklet that tells you a list of treatment providers that are accepting your insurance plan. then you call those treatment providers your self and arrange to see someone on that list...

if you cant find your medicaid membership booklet contact your caseworker. your caseworker can send you another one or you can go in to their office and pick one up from the receptionist or in the lobby on the lobby information tables/bulletin\magazine racks. or any Social security \human services \welfare office will also have them free of charge.

My insurance does, in fact, help people find providers in my state. Its this states equivalent of medicaid. My extherapist actually called the insurance to try to find me someone new. That is what is done here. They just dont do a very good job. Ive been a US citizen my whole life. I know what is done here in the USA, ive been in and out of therapy for 11 years, and i fought for my SSI. Trust us, and please dont reply as if we have an almost total lack of knowledge based on what we dont say or articulate. I see you do this with many of our posts and Im afraid I must draw a boundary. You may be trying to be helpful, but it only makes me feel demeaned.

I have read about DID, I have read about therapy for it, I have read just about everything on the ISSTD website and on PODS, i have read about its history, i have read every book i could get my hands on good and bad, and i have struggled two years trying to get help for DID and I know my way around. And thats just for DID, i have other diagnoses as well that I have done reading on. Ive even done reading on things id been misdiagnosed with. Theres a reason the counselor said I should become a therapist. I had to figure those things out for survival. So I read. I read a lot.

We are trying everything we can and have been in this "game" for a while. I would not have made this post or even considered such a drastic measure if we were not doing everything we could with so little result.


Josh

[Willowtrees]

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

I feel so screwed.

Me too.

You need to locate a trauma based hospital. I hear there's a good one in Dallas, Texas called Timberlawn.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Willowtrees

My insurance does, in fact, help people find providers in my state. Its this states equivalent of medicaid. My extherapist actually called the insurance to try to find me someone new. That is what is done here. They just dont do a very good job. Ive been a US citizen my whole life. I know what is done here in the USA, ive been in and out of therapy for 11 years, and i fought for my SSI. Trust us, and please dont reply as if we have an almost total lack of knowledge based on what we dont say or articulate. I see you do this with many of our posts and Im afraid I must draw a boundary. You may be trying to be helpful, but it only makes me feel demeaned.

I have read about DID, I have read about therapy for it, I have read just about everything on the ISSTD website and on PODS, i have read about its history, i have read every book i could get my hands on good and bad, and i have struggled two years trying to get help for DID and I know my way around. And thats just for DID, i have other diagnoses as well that I have done reading on. Ive even done reading on things id been misdiagnosed with. Theres a reason the counselor said I should become a therapist. I had to figure those things out for survival. So I read. I read a lot.

We are trying everything we can and have been in this "game" for a while. I would not have made this post or even considered such a drastic measure if we were not doing everything we could with so little result.


Josh

sorry my post upset you, my wording was not correct. what I meant to say insurance companies do not do the search for treatment providers. some state (medicaid\,medicare) insurance programs now .....assign....a treatment provider. how that works is they look in their list (the same treatment provider listing in the membership booklet) see which treatment providers have not reached their state quota for how many clients they can have, if that treatment provider has not reached their quota for medicaid\medicare clients the insurance .....assigns....the client to that treatment provider. that said a client can call the insurance program that works this way and put in a request for their choice of treatment provider from their membership booklet. and if that treatment provider has not reached their quota for number of clients they will be ....assigned...that treatment provider.