When we think of health insurance, what generally comes to mind is insurance that covers costs of medical procedures performed for diseases that are considered physical. The question does insurance cover therapy for mental health is one left for those who need therapy for mental issues and can’t afford to pay for it. So for mental/psychological challenges, is therapy covered by insurance?
The simplest answer to this question is that many health insurance companies, particularly the major ones, do not cover therapy costs for mental health. But there are providers who cover selectively the costs associated with mental health therapy or psychotherapy. What insurance provider would cover which of your therapy costs is a question more difficult to answer in a line or via a list. A good place to find helpful info is BetterHelp where Sarah Fader discusses the question “Does insurance cover therapy?” The kind of therapy, expenses of the clinic providing the therapy, the number of therapy sessions and several other factors play a part in determining whether and to what degree a health insurance company would cover the therapy costs for mental health issues.
One thing that you need to consider when dealing with the question is therapy covered by insurance for mental health issues is diagnosis. Most if not all insurance providers would require a psychiatric diagnosis in order to consider your request for insurance for therapy. But a diagnosis is not always made readily in mental health cases. And also, a mental health diagnosis can work against you in some ways when applying elsewhere, say for other services, or exercising certain civil rights.
One important thing you need to watch while traveling either domestically or internationally is availability of mental health therapy and insurance in case you choose to buy locally. For example, in Asian countries, like South Korea, the National Health Insurance doesn’t cover psychotherapy. Similarly, if travelling domestically, make sure to keep an eye on health news from your destination. The U.S. state of Oregon, for instance, recently announced making deep cuts to Behavioral Health as well as Medicaid services. The question is such a situation is more of whether you will get the needed therapy in your travel destination rather than does insurance cover therapy.
In all instances, it’s best to see a list of all health services that a health insurance provider covers for you before you buy insurance with them. And at the same time, keep yourself informed on health news by visiting government health websites and other health-themed sites and blogs.
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