Did you know that insurance companies sometimes consider being a victim of domestic violence as a pre-existing and exclusionary condition? In eight different states (ID, MS, NC, ND,
"The Cost of Domestic Violence" by The Advocacy Project
OK, SD, SC, and WY) plus the District of Columbia, that designation satisfies an option to exclude coverage under health, life or disability insurance.
If you would like to know more about this issue, check out When Getting Beaten by Your Husband is a Pre-Existing Condition or The Insurance Industry’s Heartless Logic: Getting Beaten by Your Husband is an Excuse to Deny Coverage.
I find this absolutely horrific!! This makes me wonder about who runs the insurance companies? A crime is committed against a woman (most likely), and she is not treated as any other person who is a subject of a violent crime. This smacks of gender discrimenation. How can this be changed?
On a more personal note. Do insurance companies pay for counseling if the practioner has only a master’s degree and in private practice. Hence, the clinician is being supervised while working toward the 2000 hours of supervised hours for licensure.
I am close to graduating then starting my own practice. I would like to bill insurance companies for services provided. However, I have heard this is not possible until I have LPC status.
Brenda, I do not know of any health insurance company that will allow you to work independently without first being licensed as a mental health professional. In fact, Colorado is one of very few states in the U.S. that actually allows you to practice independently without being licensed. However, many insurance companies will permit you to work under the supervision of a licensed medical or mental health professional before you are licensed.
You can also work for a community agency and they, in turn, can bill for your professional services. I recommend that all new clinicians work for a local agency for at least 2 years (preferably more). It may not hold the prestige or promise the income that you want long term, but the experience, supervision (often free), and the perks of the job (usually continuing education on a regular basis) are invaluable.
Then, when you decide to open your own practice down the road, you will be much better prepared and skilled than your peers who left school to immediately hang out their shingles.