Is there a significant downside to seeking insurance coverage for mental health therapy for teen?

[Anonymous]

I just found out the therapist we are looking for my teen daughter accepts our insurance. Another friend casually mentioned that they would never submit (to insurance) any kind of medical receipt reflecting a mental health condition b/c it would be in the teen's records (in this case, the provider likely would use "anxiety" or "adjustment disorder"). My daughter is not in a crisis, but I think the therapy would help her to navigate some challenging issues at high school and in our family. We can afford paying the full cost of therapy, but paying the copay of $30 is so much more affordable than the provider's full rate which is over $200. She doesn't have any other mental health diagnosis previously from any other provider.

[Anonymous]

Your friend sounds paranoid.

[Anonymous]

Your friend has a point-

There are certain careers and clearances that could impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your friend has a point-

There are certain careers and clearances that could impact.

And someone with mental illness shouldn't be working in them anyway. So what's the point, exactly?

[Anonymous]

I agree with the friend. If you can afford not to, I wouldn’t.

[Anonymous]

I would submit to insurance. I was seeing a therapist for depression with my first clearance and taking a SSRI and they could not have cared less. I just got a new one after it had lapsed for a while and the question was written in such a way that you could be 100% honest and not even report it. They’re looking for someone who could turn into an insider threat.

Do what you need to do to take care of DC’s health and don’t demonize getting professional help.

[Anonymous]

It’s not the dark ages. People are starting to understand that people need to keep healthy both physically and mentally.

Of course they are still people who are woefully ignorant (see above) but they are never decision makers.

If you’re worried about future employers then you should not use health insurance. Childhood cancer should be paid for privately because employers would worry that it will come back and be a burden on the company’s insurance plan. Chronic diseases too like diabetes type 1 would be expensive.

[Anonymous]

Who would see the teen’s records?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not the dark ages. People are starting to understand that people need to keep healthy both physically and mentally.

Of course they are still people who are woefully ignorant (see above) but they are never decision makers.

If you’re worried about future employers then you should not use health insurance. Childhood cancer should be paid for privately because employers would worry that it will come back and be a burden on the company’s insurance plan. Chronic diseases too like diabetes type 1 would be expensive.

I doubt many people can private pay childhood cancer treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend has a point-

There are certain careers and clearances that could impact.

And someone with mental illness shouldn't be working in them anyway. So what's the point, exactly?

I don’t think OP’s kid has a mental illness- but for billing purposes when using insurance they typically will give a diagnosis. Hence, if someone like OP is taking her kid to therapy for some mild reason, I don’t think the friend is wrong to bring that up

[Anonymous]

Since when can future employers pull private health records? I don't even think current employers can. A lot of parents can't even access their teen's records.

[Anonymous]

I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill. No one is accessing those records. No one is going to care. A teen of that generation is seeing someone for anxiety? That’s a pretty big cohort. This is a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

If the issue is serious enough that it would be disqualifying for a job, you probably shouldn't be hiding it. No one is going to care if a teenager saw a therapist for an adjustment disorder (which is basically therapistese for "you're not genuinely mentally ill, you just need temporary help with life").

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your friend has a point-

There are certain careers and clearances that could impact.

I would minimize a paper trail if my DC needed mental health treatment and I could afford to do so. These days, any personal data any insurer has eventually will leak.

If I could not afford it, getting treatment would be maore important than no paper trail.

[Anonymous]

I would take the insurance coverage, but I would watch the statements from both the provider and the insurance company carefully to make sure the records are accurate.

I have some experience with a few areas this might come up (clearance, FAA medical). The questions are usually something like "have you ever been diagnosed with or sought treatment for...". So if you're answering them honestly, the answer is yes whether it's "on the record" or not ... and hiding it is NOT recommended. For the most part, it's fine if you answer honestly and it's not a prohibited condition (and if it is a prohibited condition, again, you shouldn't be doing that job anyway). Where people get into trouble is when they sought treatment for, say, situational anxiety, but it somehow got coded as a generalized anxiety disorder, which can be moreof an issue. Then it becomes an uphill battle to prove that you didn't actually have what the record says you had. So check the records carefully and get your provider to correct them immediately if you see anything that could be problematic.