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In my experience a related obstacle to obtaining mental health services is that the insurance companies require that the records from therapy must be available

In my experience a related obstacle to obtaining mental health services is that the insurance companies require that the records from therapy must be available to the insurance company so they can verify the services they are paying for. Meaning, the notes from deeply personal discussions with your therapist and any resulting diagnosis can end up in the hands of your insurance company. Once this information has left your therapist's office it can end up any number of places. While that might be a risk I am willing to take with my social security number or other personal information the deeply personal topics discussed in therapy are not worth risking. I don't see how this gets any better with single-payer/government funded funding routes. I don't want anyone to know what I discuss with my therapist much less a soulless corporation or the government. The avenues this could open up for oppression from corporations and/or the government sends a shiver down my spine.

lostmsu 7y ago
Can you quote a source about the notes requirement?
- macinjosh 7y ago
  Unfortunately, I can't find documentation of the requirements insurance companies place on therapists for providing coverage. I would be surprised if this is even public information. However, I was able to find a therapist blogger who discusses the topic [0]: > The insurer can also audit your records at any time they wish, which means they have full access to any details your therapist has, including information the therapist intentionally did not include in the claim submitted to the insurance company. Any and all information, including progress notes, which can include details about what occurred during the therapy session, is technically open to the claims specialist. [0]: https://tampatherapy.com/2017/01/25/reasons-not-use-insurance-mental-health-treatment/ https://tampatherapy.com/2017/01/25/reasons-not-use-insuranc...
dsfyu404ed 7y ago
>The avenues this could open up for oppression from corporations and/or the government sends a shiver down my spine. Tons of vets already avoid mental health services because it's a black mark on their career and can hinder their ability to bear arms in civilian life.
- flattone 7y ago
  I can't go to therapy because of exactly this kind of thing. I have two different fully covering insurances ... plenty of cash... and probably some reallylifetime bothersome things that I would love to deal with...but I've never been able to get past the idea that I can't just go in and talk to a professional without them having to know everything and share and store everything about me I'll never do it.
  - macinjosh 7y ago
    I hear you. This was an obstacle for me for many years. I even had a hard time opening up to those I am closest too. All I can share is my own experience but I finally tried therapy, and gave it the best effort I could, 3 years ago. It has truly changed my life. I am still working on things but my life, relationships, and mind have never been better.
  - fragmede 7y ago
    So go a town over, pay cash, and give a fake name, and get help from a therapist about why having anything written down is so scary for you, until you get past that particular emotional block. (If it's about possible loss of wages/job, that's why there's HIPPA, and malpractice lawsuits.) And then continue paying cash and using a fake name, just closer to home. It is hard to actually manage to get help for mental health issues in the first place, but if the issue is so great, that you need to share with strangers on the Internet need that you suffer from similar FUD about the process, then it is possible that the issues are a bigger problem than you realize.
    - mindslight 7y ago
      Your comment is so insensitive, it is ultimately just flame bait. Do you go around castigating people for being hesitant to talk to cops, as well? It's fine that you trust the (de facto) government. And I'm certainly not going to convince you otherwise right here. But don't casually brush off the opinions of those of us who don't. The effective requirement to expose your permanent identity as a condition of receiving medical care is an ongoing travesty. It also is a large component of how the healthcare market is so fucked, in that it fosters extreme price discrimination.
SkyBelow 7y ago
>I don't see how this gets any better with single-payer/government funded funding routes. I don't want anyone to know what I discuss with my therapist much less a soulless corporation or the government. If anything I would expect it to get worse, since the government has an incentive to use this in far more areas than an insurance company.

lostmsu 7y ago

Can you quote a source about the notes requirement?

macinjosh 7y ago
Unfortunately, I can't find documentation of the requirements insurance companies place on therapists for providing coverage. I would be surprised if this is even public information. However, I was able to find a therapist blogger who discusses the topic [0]: > The insurer can also audit your records at any time they wish, which means they have full access to any details your therapist has, including information the therapist intentionally did not include in the claim submitted to the insurance company. Any and all information, including progress notes, which can include details about what occurred during the therapy session, is technically open to the claims specialist. [0]: https://tampatherapy.com/2017/01/25/reasons-not-use-insurance-mental-health-treatment/ https://tampatherapy.com/2017/01/25/reasons-not-use-insuranc...

dsfyu404ed 7y ago

>The avenues this could open up for oppression from corporations and/or the government sends a shiver down my spine. Tons of vets already avoid mental health services because it's a black mark on their career and can hinder their ability to bear arms in civilian life.

flattone 7y ago
I can't go to therapy because of exactly this kind of thing. I have two different fully covering insurances ... plenty of cash... and probably some reallylifetime bothersome things that I would love to deal with...but I've never been able to get past the idea that I can't just go in and talk to a professional without them having to know everything and share and store everything about me I'll never do it.
- macinjosh 7y ago
  I hear you. This was an obstacle for me for many years. I even had a hard time opening up to those I am closest too. All I can share is my own experience but I finally tried therapy, and gave it the best effort I could, 3 years ago. It has truly changed my life. I am still working on things but my life, relationships, and mind have never been better.
- fragmede 7y ago
  So go a town over, pay cash, and give a fake name, and get help from a therapist about why having anything written down is so scary for you, until you get past that particular emotional block. (If it's about possible loss of wages/job, that's why there's HIPPA, and malpractice lawsuits.) And then continue paying cash and using a fake name, just closer to home. It is hard to actually manage to get help for mental health issues in the first place, but if the issue is so great, that you need to share with strangers on the Internet need that you suffer from similar FUD about the process, then it is possible that the issues are a bigger problem than you realize.
  - mindslight 7y ago
    Your comment is so insensitive, it is ultimately just flame bait. Do you go around castigating people for being hesitant to talk to cops, as well? It's fine that you trust the (de facto) government. And I'm certainly not going to convince you otherwise right here. But don't casually brush off the opinions of those of us who don't. The effective requirement to expose your permanent identity as a condition of receiving medical care is an ongoing travesty. It also is a large component of how the healthcare market is so fucked, in that it fosters extreme price discrimination.

SkyBelow 7y ago

>I don't see how this gets any better with single-payer/government funded funding routes. I don't want anyone to know what I discuss with my therapist much less a soulless corporation or the government. If anything I would expect it to get worse, since the government has an incentive to use this in far more areas than an insurance company.