managed care sucks

hey guys and gals, thanks for the encouragement. the session went well, i think. the client still had an appt. with the psychologist today, so we left it that she will call if she wants to continue with me. cross your fingers!

i am so bummed at the monopoly that managed care has on mental health providers. not only do providers who are on lots of insurance panels get handed clients, the co-pays these days are ridiculously low! the client from yesterday has a $15 co-pay. to keep seeing me, she would have to meet a $600 deductible and then they would reimburse her 60%. in order to compete, i told her i would only charge her 40% of my fee so she wouldn't have to mess with the insurance at all. 40%! that's like $36. oh well, you do what you gotta do.

i have been looking around at different insurance panels. most of them want 3 - 5 years of "post-licensure" experience. i technically have 1 month of this kind of experience, though i have been a therapist for years. it's kind of like trying to get a job when you have no previous work history. you need the job to start gaining experience, but no one wants to hire you because you have no experience. i am applying anyway. the worst that could happen is that they say "no".