Arkansas therapists have addressed a variety of challenges that make it difficult for patients to access the mental health services they need.
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — The challenges Arkansasans face with mental health services is no secret — but what if insurance companies made it harder for licensed therapists to see you?
Jessica Derrickson has been a licensed therapist for eight years, and in November the future of her private practice was called into question.
“Suddenly I saw something called a demand for refusal,” explains Derrickson.
She said representatives of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield told her she needed to update her credentials.
This has created a hurdle for Derrickson and patients who rely on insurance companies to pay for their care.
“I did not submit the so-called recertification documents [and] I am in arrears and no longer participating in the network,” Derrickson said.
She explained that she had not received the paperwork.
“Several clients told me they were crying, panicking, or freaking out,” Derrickson explained.
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield were contacted, and as of Wednesday, a spokesperson said the issue had been resolved and Derrickson was back in their systems.
Derrickson said it’s a simple misunderstanding, but she’s not the only one with this problem.
Dr. Buster Lucky of NAMI Arkansas said the process of recertifying this information is all too common a problem for mental health providers in Arkansas.
“I’m on good terms with the state and I should be on good terms with insurance companies,” Lucky said.
He added that getting permission to accept insurance is also difficult.
“[It] When I first got Medicaid, the process took almost a year,” Lucky said.
For this reason, he shared that many licensed therapists have opted out of accepting certain insurances outright.
“The main reasons people don’t get services are the cost and the need to leave the network,” says Lucky.
When this happens, patients usually have two options: pay out-of-pocket, which can be costly, or refer them to someone else.
In the future, Dr. Lucky hopes insurance companies will find ways to make the reauthorization process easier.
“I went to school to help them. I didn’t go to school to worry about insurance or insurance companies,” Lucky explained.
