From Jacobin: “Not only is mental health care stigmatized in the United States, but it’s also poorly covered by health insurance companies, which impose restrictive standards of necessity. A therapy session is five times as likely to be out-of-network — thus more expensive — than an appointment for primary care. According to the health insurance industry’s own data, the out-of-pocket cost of mental health hospitalization has been growing nearly thirteen times faster than all inpatient care.
‘The result is quality mental health care out of reach of all but a wealthy, fortunate few,’ writes Aaron Freedman in a vulnerable telling of his sometimes debilitating anxiety for USA TODAY. ‘When my insomnia and anxiety got so bad I considered harming myself, my psychiatrist referred me to a cognitive behavioral therapist who has made worlds of difference for me. But he also charges $385 per 45-minute session.’”
