"They want me to submit my note for every. single. session."

Last month, I facilitated a private insurance workshop, for Kambria Evans' Zero Disturbance LaunchPad.

These therapists are there because they are creative, passionate about healing others, and willing to think outside the box.

To support the colleagues who attended, we worked through a customized decision-making workbook.

They considered their needs, goals, and strengths, and made their own decisions around working with insurance.

We kept the discussion open-minded and fact-based.

Pros of this. Cons of that.
How to talk about insurance with clients.
5 or 6 alternatives to in-network insurance.

At least half of the group reported horrific experiences like waiting months for payments, and submitting notes repeatedly to satisfy an audit.

Or they had this creeping dread that they were just one surprise letter away from it.

So yes, this is why many therapists are asking clients to shoulder the risk of insurance reimbursement. If the insurer doesn't pay 1 client, that's a stressful but contained problem.

But if the insurer delays payment for a whole practice?

Great therapists lose jobs. Great therapists close their private practices. Great therapists diversify, thus offering less availability for clients regardless of payment type.

And EXPERIENCED therapists, the ones we cannot afford to lose, straight up disappear from the field.

Take Dr. Ajita Robinson for example. If you've ever panic-googled something about insurance in between sessions, you know that she is THE GO-TO EXPERT in explaining insurance to therapists.

She could have been the greatest ambassador for BCBS and Cigna. But now she's thinking about layoffs and/or contract changes.

What does this mean for you?

1. Do your best, with whatever setup you've chosen.

2. DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN A SHAME SPIRAL if you find yourself struggling with an insurance issue. Even the greats among us have hit a wall lately.

3. You have alternatives to insurance. You can implement them slowly while you consider a change in your relationship with insurance. This includes experimenting with out-of-network or courtesy billing, setting up your own special pricing program, or even partnering with a 3rd party like Open Path Collective so they can manage those "sliding scale slots for you."