[Tangerine87]

My therapist doesn't know too many psychiatrists. The ones he does know don't take insurance. He seems to imply that psychiatrists that don't take insurance are better. Is this really true?

Is it worth it? I have insurance and if I are a doctor that doesn't take insurance it's about $350 for the first visit and follow up visits are $100.

It's so much money. I don't know what to do. How do you pick a psych?

[BlessedRhiannon]

I ended up going to a pdoc that does not take insurance, but that my T prefers to work with. Yes, it's expensive, but to me, it's worth it. I get along really well with the pdoc, and I'm actually terrified of most doctors. My T has a great relationship with him, so that's also a plus.

My pdoc does provide receipts which one can use to file an out of network claim with insurance. However, my insurance's mental health plan pretty much sucks and you have to jump through tons of hoops to even get authorized for any kind of treatment and all treatment has to be pre-authorized. So, I just pay out of pocket and accept that it's a cost I have to account for.

[Puglife]

My experience is that a lot more psychiatrists take insurance than therapists do. I'm not sure you can decide if a psych or a T is better if they don't take insurance. I can understand why they are reluctant to take insurance because of the red tape involved and the fact they usually make less per session.

My T doesn't take my insurance so I have to pay out of pocket, but he is worth it.

Can you get a referral through your insurance?

[Tangerine87]

Originally Posted by Puglife

My experience is that a lot more psychiatrists take insurance than therapists do. I'm not sure you can decide if a psych or a T is better if they don't take insurance. I can understand why they are reluctant to take insurance because of the red tape involved and the fact they usually make less per session.

My T doesn't take my insurance so I have to pay out of pocket, but he is worth it.

Can you get a referral through your insurance?

The problem is how do I know who is good from my insurance.

[Eliza Jane]

Greed. They can get away with it, so they do.

It is something that totally annoys me. The only pdocs around here who take insurance will see you for less than 5 minutes (I know, I've tried them) You can get that from a GP. I ended up seeing a cash only guy who would meet with me for 1/2 hr for like $180. Turned out he was an okay doctor, but a horrible person, so I switched to my current pdoc. He charges $120 for 15 minutes, but usually sees me for 20. I think he might be on some insurances, just not mine. It sucks, but I feel I need someone who will at least listen to me. It is insane that I have to pay so much for adequate care.

[doyoutrustme]

It's more than a greed issue. The insurance companies give psychiatry no respect. Other medicine is cut and dry. There's reliable tests for doctors when the insurance companies try to squirm out of paying. And when they do, they're so underpaid, they cram in so many patients, and can't meet their minimum needs.

[Travelinglady]

I've never heard of a psychiatrist who didn't take insurance. I knew a primary care doc who didn't. He was not very popular with his peers. He considered himself to be rebelling against the system--i.e., "Nobody is going to tell me how much I can charge!"

[Lauliza]

I think most psychiatrists take insurance like any other doctor. In my area the ones that don't take insurance have been practicing for a long time and are at the point where they want a smaller, more selective client base. Otherwise they all seem to take it. You can't judge how good or bad someone is by whether or not they take insurance, you have to go by referrals, credentials, experience, etc. Some have online reviews which can be really helpful.

I have come across many psychologists who don't take any insurance at all and it really bothers me. I can't help to see it as a little elitist. How much do you really want to help people if you won't provide services to those most in need? I understand it's frustrating to deal with but that's just part of the job.

[grimtopaz]

Where I live, the great majority of therapists and psychiatrists do not take insurance - specially the well-established ones that can get a lot of clients who pay completely out of pocket (essentially, a lot of providers cherry-pick their clients).

The reason they do this is that dealing with insurance panels is a pain. They have to get on the panel, often fight for reimbursement, have their sessions limited, and make a lot less money than when they get paid cash.

[ScarletPimpernel]

All my Pdocs (9 of them) have accepted insurance. All my Ts (8 of them) have accepted insurance. So idk?

[lostwonder]

My Pdoc takes insurance. Sees me for 1 hour 2x a week. Insurance pays $170 an hour.

[Eliza Jane]

Further reflecting on my previous response...I think city must make a big difference. In my previous city, many Ts didn't take insurance, but here almost all Ts do. On the other hand, very few pdocs take insurance in this city, particularly child psychiatrists (who are really in demand). Around here, a big place people can go to use their insurance for a pdoc is the university hospital outpatient clinic (although you usually see a resident). Would something like that exist by you?

[Raindropvampire]

I was able to get a list of Pdocs from my insurance provider. I then narrowed the list by how close they were to my home. Then I went online and researched each one. Several were listed on Healthgrades > Find a Doctor | Doctor Reviews | Hospital Ratings and I saw some had some very negative comments and ruled them out. Took some trial and error but I found a good one finally. Only bad thing is I can't see her now because she doesn't have hours on Fridays. NONE of the other Pdocs listed by insurance are open Friday either so blah to them.

[A18793715]

I have a pdoc that takes both my primary, fed blue cross blue shield as well as mediciad. I thought I would never find a good pdoc that took Medicaid. But I tried. I went to over 15 doctors around the dfw area before I finally found mine. Her name is pinky. I've been seeing her for 4 years now. All of my sessions are at minimum 20 minutes because she likes to talk and see what you've been up to, how you're feeling, how you feel about your meds or just anything you want to talk about really. I love her.

If anyone lives in texas, she's highland behavioral health in arlington tx. She takes lots of insurances.

[wotchermuggle]

I am so thankful I live in Canada. It's free for us to see a psychiatrist and even therapy, if you go through your Pdoc or local mental hospital. I was referred to my Pdoc by my family physician.

My t doesn't take insurance, so I pay out of pocket. She's willing to do 30 minute sessions luckily so I can afford it.

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[archipelago]

I have heard of some psychiatrists charging what sounded like outrageous fees, but then doctors do too if they are not taking insurance and there are some who do not.

Mine has shifted a few times and now I think has a deal with a university to take the student insurance, but everyone else pays out of pocket. Luckily, he is not greedy and actually charges very low fees considering.

I think dealing with insurance is a real hassle. You have to justify why something is medically necessary all the time and I think in some case the insurance interferes in the kind of services provided. Plus sometimes they have to hire someone to manage their billing so it becomes an expense.