Right when we need more mental health treatment in this state, Blue Cross Blue Shield is about to serious mess up insurance and thus the provision for mental health services in this state.
Click on Detroit: ‘Devastating’: Michigan mental health care workers concerned BCBSM billing change could cut access to counselors
BCBS is the big dog in Michigan health insurance coverage, and they run the vast majority of insurance coverage for people in this state. This change to mental health billing and in essence not covering therapy by limited license practitioners is going to massively reduce the number of eligible practitioners to be able to be provide treatment ,and prevent limited license practitioners from getting paid for hours they do in practice before they are fully licensed. And they can't ever get fully licensed without doing a ton of direct patient hours.
We already have a mental health crisis in this state and not enough practitioners to handle the load, and this is going to make it worse.
More mentally ill people and everyday people in crisis not getting covered treatment and thus not getting treatment - what could possibly go wrong?
One would think the government might intervene in such decisions, given BCBS' almost monopoly power in this state, but given the governor we have, don't count on it.
That's because BCBS has Governor Whitmer in their back pocket. Indeed, that would be an understatement. Her father was the former CEO of Blue Cross, and that's not the least of the ties.
Heck, she was practically installed as governor by BCBS.
Detroit Metro Times: Blue Cross has given more cash to Whitmer than any Michigan gov candidate in past decade
The Intercept: A Blue Cross CEO Encouraged a Michigan Woman to Get Into Politics. Now She’s Running for Governor and Says Single Payer Is Unrealistic
Don't expect the governor to step in against this destructive coverage decision anytime soon.
When it comes to the Gov's claims about being for "the people" of this state, the people sure take a back seat to the largest insurance company in the state.
5 comments:
Not good!
Old NFO: Exactly. It's a bad policy to save the insurance company from paying for mental health services, right when mental health services are badly needed. Not good at all.
It is incredibly frustrating to see corporate profits prioritized over public health like this. Cutting off coverage for limited license practitioners will force vulnerable people away from therapy right when they need it most. Sadly, given the deep political connections between the governor and Blue Cross, we probably shouldn't expect the state to step in. It is just another reminder of how broken the system can be when you look at the broader health insurance landscape. Thanks for calling this out and shining a light on it.
As long as health insurance for employees is a deductible business expense AND mandated by the Feds nothing is going to change.
BCBS's customers are the businesses paying the bill, the patients are the products to be provided the minimum legally required services as the lowest achievable costs.
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