Our Decision About Insurance

Mindful Medicine does not accept health insurance. We want to be extremely clear that this decision is based on the best interest of our patients. Although being successfully treated by a psychiatrist who accepts insurance would be ideal, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that nearly half of all psychiatrists don’t accept any form of insurance. Their patients pay out-of-pocket for every visit, just like our patients do.  Here’s why:

Health insurance companies reimburse doctors for patient visits under a system known as “managed care.” Managed care allows your insurance company to dictate the care that you receive.  Instead of focusing solely on the care you need, doctor’s are forced to pay attention to strict documentation requirements and complex billing and reimbursement processes. This results in (1) doctors have less time to focus on you and (2) your care being partially influenced by a health insurance company’s policies. This environment is the exact opposite of what healthcare is supposed to be. 

At Mindful Medicine, we put the quality of your care first by creating the best therapeutic environment for you. We make sure our decision to not accept insurance directly enhances your care. You’ll see this in every facet of your experience with us. Here are just some of the differences you’ll see:  

• No long waits in our waiting room. We strive for there to be either minimal wait time or no wait time at all. 
• Access to the doctor between visits via both phone call and text. If you see your doctor on Monday and have a question on Tuesday, it’s no problem. Eliminating time-consuming insurance requirements means we can answer your question anytime in case of an urgent matter.
• Minimum 30-minute visits with the option for an hour. Taking the time to truly listen to our patients and understand the challenges they face is the cornerstone of Mindful Medicine.

We know that even with the benefits stated above, the biggest barrier to accessing this kind of care is financial. I’m sure many people reading this are thinking …. 

“I can’t afford it.” 

We recognize that paying hundreds of dollars for a visit with a psychiatrist represents a significant amount of money, so it’s understandable for that to be your first thought. But here’s what we believe your second thought should be …

“What if the treatment could save my life?” 

What if our treatment made you happier and more fulfilled? What if your struggles only require seeing a clinician every three months? 

After an initial consultation, your care for four visits per year would cost around $1,000 per year. This is less than $3 per day. Think about that. Some people spend $10 dollars per day on cigarettes, or $20 dollars on lunch. Think about the hundreds or thousands of dollars that get spent on vacations, and how much more enjoyable those getaways would be after having benefited from truly helpful psychiatric care. All of this considered, perhaps paying for care may be more affordable than you originally thought.

We all pick and choose how to spend our money and decide whether something is expensive or not. Spending money on high quality, life changing psychiatric care can provide benefits that can change your life. We believe in giving our patients more time, more care, more results, and that’s priceless.