We find ourselves at an unprecedented point in history. There hasn’t been a pandemic like COVID-19 in one-hundred years. As such, people across the United States are being driven indoors and away from each other. School districts are closing, restaurants and bars are being shuttered, and though many people can work from home many will lose their jobs during this time of crisis.
Never has physical health been more at the forefront of society’s consciousness. However, during times of uncertainty and anxiety, the importance of mental health cannot be overstated.
Social isolation and distancing can negatively impact people’s mental health. Humans are naturally social creatures and we crave interaction. Although text messages, phone calls, and video chatting can help mitigate the loneliness of social distancing, there will inevitably be lingering negative effects. Now is the time to investigate affordable health insurance options, as well as telehealth and teletherapy services.
How do you choose health insurance?
During a time of financial uncertainty such as this, it’s important to find the best health insurance plan for your family, while also keeping in mind that cheap health insurance is not necessarily bad health insurance. Instead, for some, finding cheap health insurance can mean the difference between being able to pay rent and being evicted.
The best way to find cheap health insurance is to use iSelect. With so many affordable health insurance options on the market, utilizing a health care comparison tool from the comfort of your home helps you find the best option for your family.
The first thing to consider when comparing cheap health insurance is what your particular insurance coverage needs are. Are your medical expenses higher than average? Does your ideal health plan also cover therapy sessions?
Whichever insurer you choose, keep in mind that during this uncertain time, you’ll want health coverage that covers a variety of human services, including private practice physicians as well as counselors who can offer teletherapy.
Make sure that the health coverage you choose covers a wide network of therapists. Luckily, most health plans cover counseling sessions provided you have received a diagnosis from your general practitioner. That is the first place to start, once your health insurance plan has been selected. During the Obama administration, the federal government made mental health care coverable under the affordable care act.
With this subsidy in place, the next step is to set up a therapeutic plan with your general practitioner and eventually, your therapist. The first step to working with your therapist is to set up a plan. This can mean speaking with your doctor in regard to your particular needs. Your doctor will likely be able to refer you to a therapist who specializes in the exact kind of therapy that would best suit you.
What is Teletherapy?
Once you’ve made a connection with a therapist, you can begin your work. Because we’re currently in a state of social distancing, make sure that they are currently offering teletherapy. Teletherapy is a unique innovation. Using nothing more than an internet connection and streaming video, teletherapy services allow cognitive therapists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists the ability to maintain a telepractice during times when social distancing is necessary. Over video, speech-language pathologists can work with children to develop articulation skills.
Clinicians can meet with people with a variety of disabilities for in-person sessions, all from home. The best part is that these sessions will be covered by health insurance. With a strong internet connection, you’ll be able to meet weekly or bi-monthly over Skype or Facetime from anywhere in the world. Teletherapy works in exactly the same way as traditional talk-therapy. Your therapist will be bound by the rules of HIPAA. Over a secure, HIPAA-compliant live video connection, your therapist will help you develop the coping skills and positivity you’ll need to get through the months ahead.
During such a stressful and uncertain time, it’s important to maintain your connections with other people and to advocate for your own mental and physical health. Finding a health insurance option that covers both physical and mental healthcare costs is a simple way to bring some stability back into your life. Once that step has been taken, meeting with a therapist weekly over an internet connection will keep you happy and healthy, even as we all face the unknown.