Report: Therapists Who Take Insurance Are Growing Scarce
More than 500 psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists left insurance networks because insurers made it too difficult to care for patients and maintain a viable practice, reports ProPublica.
October 24, 2024
Finding a clinician who takes your insurance has become a daunting task, largely because providers have abandoned insurance networks in droves. As a result, patients with ADHD and other conditions are forced to navigate a shrinking pool of in-network providers or pay out-of-pocket for care.
According to an August ProPublica report, more than 500 psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists said they left insurance networks in recent years because insurers made it too difficult to properly care for patients and maintain a viable practice. The providers said it was often the insurers that determined who is eligible for treatment coverage, what kind, and for how long — not the professionals providing care. Some added that insurers pressed them to reduce care when patients were on the verge of harm. 1
Many of the clinicians interviewed said they struggled to stay in business as insurers denied claims, withheld reimbursements for months, or otherwise made it nearly impossible to provide care and maintain financial viability.
A shortage of mental healthcare providers has severely limited patient access to affordable, high-quality care.
Source
1 Why I Left the Network. (2024, August 25). ProPublica. Retrieved October 25, 2024, from
https://projects.propublica.org/why-i-left-the-network/
