Bridge Co-founder, Nicole Sartini, is spearheading a local multidisciplinary Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force which aims to ensure access to mental healthcare for folx needing to use insurance benefits and increase the sustainability of our profession. The Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force is currently working on a bill is going to the KY House to address the need for fair reimbursement, transparency and increased attention on rural KY mental healthcare access. The task force is also producing educational material for both clients and clinicians dealing with insurance challenges related to their mental healthcare.

 

Our why:

• Mental Health providers are reimbursed by insurance companies an average of 30% less than other similarly educated healthcare professionals despite federal parity laws, and Kentucky has one of the lowest reimbursement rates for mental health services nationwide

• Companies such as BCBS are profiting billions each quarter while refusing raises for mhps and in some cases lowering reimbursement while premium costs for customers continue to rise

• Low reimbursement rates, clawbacks, etc, are driving mental health providers out of insurance networks and sometimes even out of the field in order to make their work emotionally and financially sustainable

• That has led to a provider shortage, especially in rural areas, and adds a barrier for insurance clients needing our services

• Advocating for higher reimbursement would improve provider participation in insurance networks, increase their ability to care for themselves and thus provide higher quality and more accessible services

• The value of soft skills such as empathy, active listening, emotional intelligence and compassion needs to be brought back into balance so power over systems can be exchanged for mutually respectful ones.