Have you ever had a partner who constantly:
Undervalued your worth?
Said they would pay for dinner, but then left you stuck with the bill at the end?
Bought you a gift but several months to years later wanted it back?
Changed the rules to the relationship and you couldn’t keep up?
Was extremely controlling?
I’ve had some epically unhealthy relationships in the past, but my relationship with insurance ranks at the top in regards to dysfunction. This is the type of partner that makes you feel that you NEED them, so you stay out of fear. It took a lot of support to walk away from insurance. Just like any toxic relationship, you need people who can reflect your mistreatment back to you.
I was playing by the rules, but the game was rigged.
There was no amount of effort I could do to turn the ship around. Some amazing women, a magic school, and moon medicine allowed me to step away. I decided I would no longer make fear based decisions. I asked myself, “Was I staying with insurance out of fear?” The answer was largely yes. I knew I deserved much more than the raw deal I was getting, but there was also my empath heart that felt for my clients and their ability to afford my services. After all, many of us pay for insurance, shouldn’t we be able to use it?
Unfortunately, insurance companies are still holding firm to the patriarchy and with it the undervaluing of mental health care and providers without medical degrees. As a solo business mental health provider my middle of the road insurance reimbursement for psychological testing was $50 an hour, and there was a cap set of around 8 hours per client. I had been overgiving in the quality and time spent on reports for years, as an act of service. However, this was not a sustainable practice.
My next shift came with the next full moon release statement, “I release the fear of uncertainty and with it my need to control.” Instead I thought, “What if it all works out?”
It has been a few months since I released insurance and it is amazing how much time has freed up not having to fight with insurance companies for reimbursement and not having to worry about if and when I would get paid. One company I worked for consistently took 90 days to pay for the services I provided. I could list complaints a mile long about the mistreatment, but I’ll refrain!
Instead, we all need to brainstorm a system that actually works out for both the consumer and the provider. One built on respect and a high quality of care where both large and small businesses are successful. I have experienced some amazing shifts since dropping insurance. I can bring all of me to my work, and this is big! I realized that:
Offering less of me isn’t serving my clients, and that’s not ethical.
This means that in my sessions I can fully explore and share all the areas that light me up without having to worry about whether insurance considers it reimbursable. This means clients can experience more rapid growth as I’m able to focus on physical, energetic, spiritual and psychological well-being. I’ve spent a little over a decade learning alternative techniques for mental health, and it would truly not be ethical to keep this expertise to myself just to stay in the insurance box.
As an added bonus, since I had extra time not spent struggling with insurance, I was able to create community healing events around nature and art for the first time.
#RebeccaRughWebbPsychologist #RebeccaRughWebb #Psychologist #mentalhealth #TheIntuitiveArtologist #psych #wellness #toxicpatriarchy #shesgotovaries #demandingrespect #moonmedicine #releasestatements
So beautifully said! I struggle daily with how, as an old RN in the health care business since 1978, did we get here?? Honestly, it did not used to be this way. Money has perverted our "service industry" into a "for profit 1st industry":(. And, as always, those in need suffer the most. Those folks we took an oath to care for, come last:(. Hang in there!! You're on the right track!!