Does Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Cover Mental Health Treatment?

Most Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) health insurance policies cover the cost of mental health treatment. This coverage became fairly standard across BCBS plans beginning in 2014 with the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Policies purchased prior to 2014 may not offer as many benefits for mental and behavioral health as post-ACA policies. Notably, evidence-based treatment is covered, such as therapeutic services and psychoanalyses. Services rendered out of a therapeutic setting are typically not covered, such as out-of-office systematic desensitization or exposure treatment led by a therapist to treat certain phobia.

Covered Services

Most network plans from BCBS cover applied behavior analysis, residential treatment, emergency mental health care, group therapy, and other mental health services. Still, it is important to note that BCBS plans may have stipulations that must be met in order for coverage to be provided. What’s more, employers have the ability to customize the benefits that they offer, and they can also determine what the insured must do in order to access these benefits. For this reason, it is important to check your individual policy to make sure you’re covered.

You will need to choose a mental health provider in the BCBS network in order to be covered. Some services available may also include case management services, consultations and outpatient services.

Deductibles and Copays

With most health insurance plans, including plans from Blue Cross Blue Shield, you must first meet your deductible prior to receiving coverage. For example, if your policy has a $500 deductible, then you are responsible for the first $500 in care. You may also need to pay a copay for each visit or treatment. For instance, your policy may require you to pay a certain percentage of your treatment costs per visit or a set amount per visit or service, such as $40. Check your Blue Cross Blue Shield policy details to determine if you have a deductible and if you must pay a copayment with your mental health services.

Checking BCBS Coverage

Insured policyholders can check on their individual coverage levels by logging into their Blue Cross Blue Shield member accounts. This involves accessing the Blue Cross Blue Shield website or its mobile app. Once logged in, policyholders should select Go to My Coverage, and then tap on Medical, select the What’s Covered option, and then click on Find Behavioral Health Care, Mental Health Care and Substance Use Treatment.

After accessing the services available for behavioral health and substance abuse services, policyholders can find information regarding plan requirements necessary to obtain services, which services their individual plan offers, how much they must pay for services (such as copays and deductibles) and how much their plans pay for covered services.

BCBS Medicare Coverage

For policyholders who have Medicare coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield, mental health services are covered. There is no need for policy holders to get a referral for mental health care from their primary care providers if they have coverage under a BCN Advantage plan. Visits are typically covered with copayments, and members with original Medicare are assessed a 20 percent copayment with every visit to a mental health care provider. Blue Cross Blue Shield encourages all policyholders to use their Find a Doctor tool to help them find qualified mental health care providers.

Alter Behavior Health Can Help

While most Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance policies, including Medicare plans, offer some level of therapeutic coverage for policyholders and their insured spouses and children, not all do. Coverage levels vary from plan to plan, and coverage may be subject to a deductible prior to receiving covered services. In addition, policyholders may have to pay a copay in order to receive services.

Alter Behavioral Health in Orange County offers professional care from licensed providers to deal with primary mental health disorders. Reach out to Alter Behavioral Health for caring, compassionate help for all mental health issues.

Does Cigna Insurance Cover Mental Health Treatment?

If you’re struggling with mental health issues, figuring out how to pay for treatment can seem overwhelming, Fortunately, Cigna health insurance typically pays for mental health treatment, which makes it easier for people to seek help.

Cigna Insurance and Mental Health Treatment

Cigna is a large health insurance company that offers a variety of employer-provided and personal health insurance plans. If you’re covered by them and wondering, “Does Cigna pay for mental health treatment?” you’re in luck, because the answer is generally, “Yes.” While the benefits and coverage may vary slightly depending on the details of your specific plan, most Cigna insurance plans cover behavioral health treatments.

What Kind of Behavioral Health Treatment Does Cigna Cover?

Most Cigna plans will pay for any required mental health treatments, including individual and group therapy, intensive outpatient care, inpatient care and emergency hospitalizations. Some treatments, such as inpatient care, may only be covered if they’re deemed medically necessary, so it’s always a good idea to read the details of your plan. If you’re not sure if a treatment will be covered, you can always call the number on your Cigna insurance card to ask an expert. Most employer-provided plans also offer an employee assistance program, or EAP, where you can find out details of your employee benefit plan and be referred to a provider.

Cigna health insurance covers emergency mental health treatment, so if you are in a crisis, don’t hesitate to call 911 or go directly to the emergency room. Even if you are not hospitalized, Cigna insurance covers the costs of evaluation and stabilization.

Finding a Provider

Not all mental health providers are covered by Cigna insurance, so it’s important to make sure you find an in-network provider who takes your type of insurance. You can do this by contacting Cigna directly, since they maintain a list of covered providers. If you already have a clinic or individual in mind, you can also contact them directly and ask them if they take Cigna insurance.

It can be difficult to determine what kind of provider you need, but luckily Cigna health insurance covers most types of mental health doctors, therapists and counselors. This includes the majority of professionals, including people who hold the following licenses:

  • Licensed Clinic Social Worker
  • Registered Nurse
  • Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
  • Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Other providers may also be covered.

Since mental health treatment can be a highly personal process, it’s important to work with a provider you trust. If you don’t feel comfortable with the person you are seeing for treatment, Cigna health insurance allows you to switch to a different doctor or therapist with no penalty.

Cigna Mental Health Treatment Costs

Some patients may need to pay part of their mental health treatment costs. The details vary depending on the specific Cigna health plan, but typically there is a standard copay for routine services. You may also have to pay the cost of your deductible or a separate copay for emergency services or inpatient care. Cigna includes mental and behavioral health services as part of the standard deductible, so if you have already met it receiving other types of medical care, you typically will not need to pay a separate deductible for mental health treatment.

If you choose to use an out-of-network provider for routine care, you may have to pay more. Under some plans, you may need to pay the full cost of treatment yourself. Other plans may simply include a higher copay or other fees.

What Mental Illnesses Does Cigna Cover?

Cigna health insurance covers most mental and behavioral health issues, including both acute and chronic problems. These include, but are not limited to, mental health issues such as:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Substance abuse
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Panic disorder and panic attacks
  • Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

Many Cigna health plans also cover behavioral health services for things many people don’t think of as mental health problems, such as counseling for family and marital problems.

How Can You Tell If Someone Is Mentally Ill?

Unless you seek proper treatment, mental illness has the capacity to sap your motivation and suck the joy from the things that usually make you happy. Despite the devastating effects of mental illness, these conditions are often invisible. That is, people who are deeply depressed or anxious have learned to pass things off as normal and deal with misery. While professional diagnosis is the only certain way to know if someone is mentally ill, you can still keep an eye out for the following warning signs.

Signs That Someone is Mentally Ill

Mental illness is complex and can evolve out of a mixture of genetics and life circumstance. It’s possible that you’re close to someone who’s unknowingly mentally ill, but you might also see someone in the process of developing a mental illness.

Decline in Functioning

A drop in functioning is one of the most consistent signs of mental illness, for the simple reason that many things can cause it. Anxiety and depression can reduce executive function directly and lead to poor performance at school, work, or elsewhere. Other types of mental illnesses can worsen your quality of life to the point that maintaining normal functioning becomes impossible.

Chronic Irritability, Sadness, or Stress

While everyone suffers a poor mood now and then, mental illness takes this to a much more drastic extent. It’s not normal for someone to constantly seem to be upset, sad, or otherwise on edge. While such enduring poor mood isn’t concrete proof of mental illness, it is a considerable warning factor.

Changes in Eating Habits

Some mental illnesses, such as eating disorders revolve around sharp, unhealthy changes in eating habits. Most mental illnesses can prompt drastic changes in eating habits, though, as someone loses interest in eating or turns to food as a coping mechanism.

Sudden Disruption in Sleep

When someone’s sleep pattern is thrown out of order, there’s generally a cause. There are many ways that mental illness can disrupt normal sleep, such as making it difficult to sleep or making the next day seem unbearable. Conversely, someone might begin sleeping too much and struggle to leave their bed during a depressive episode.

Intense, Inconsistent Moods

Severe mood swings can be a direct or indirect consequence of mental illness. For instance, bipolar disorder causes the afflicted to waver between crushing depression and uncontrollable mania. Likewise, many mental illnesses can come in sudden episodes that disrupt the normal behavior and feeling of a person.

Social Withdrawal

Mental illness often makes socializing seem excessively challenging or unrewarding. Additionally, depression and other conditions can make it hard to fulfill the basic self-care that’s a prerequisite to spending time with others. When you see someone withdraw from their friends and family, mental illness may be the culprit.

Alter Behavioral Health

Alter Behavioral Health is a primary care facility for adult autism and the most common mental health disorders. If you or someone you love needs mental health support that they aren’t receiving, get in touch with us for compassionate, evidence-based care.

What Are The 5 Categories Of Mental Illness?

According to recent estimates, as many as one in five American adults suffer from a mental illness. However, there are many different conditions that fall under this umbrella. While some mental illnesses manifest as a disordered mood, others involve hallucinations and memory loss. There are as many as 200 different diagnosable mental illnesses, but they generally fall under one of the following five categories.

The Five Categories of Mental Illness

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness in America, with as many as 40 million adults suffering from them. The link between these conditions is that something causes the afflicted person to experience frequent, intrusive sensations of fear and apprehension. Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders, but post-traumatic stress disorder is also part of this grouping.

Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are the second most prevalent type of mental illness among American adults. As many as one in ten may suffer from such a disorder, which is typically depression. However, there are also related conditions such as bipolar, which entails intense swings between depressive and manic episodes. These sorts of disorders are much more than just temporary ill-feeling; they can deprive a person of self-control and executive function, and even put the person at risk of heart disease and chronic illness.

Psychotic Disorders

Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are extremely serious brain conditions that distort reality in the mind of the victim. They can entail hallucinations, hearing voices, extreme paranoia, and many other symptoms that can have a ruinous impact on quality of life.

Dementia

Dementia is a broad-faceted group of mental illnesses that typically result from Alzheimer’s, substance abuse, or another illness. The victim will suffer interruptions of their consciousness and various forms of cognitive decline. While these conditions mostly affect elderly citizens, anyone can suffer from dementia.

Eating Disorders

While people of all ages and creeds suffer from eating disorders, they typically start during the teenage years and mostly afflict women. They generally result from an unhealthy relationship with food and a poor self-image, and the effects may linger indefinitely without help. Eating disorders can involve excessive binge-eating, self-starvation, and paradoxically, both.

Treating Mental Illnesses

Mental illnesses are extremely different from one to the next, so there’s no single treatment for all of them. However, psychotherapy models such as cognitive behavioral therapy have proven effective in treating anxiety, depression, and other conditions. On the other hand, medication is often important in treating these illnesses, and it’s completely indispensable in treating psychotic disorders as well as some mood disorders.

Everyone is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to mental illness. If you suspect that you’re suffering from mental illness and need help, call Alter Behavioral Health. We make use of the latest mental health science to craft a treatment program that suits your unique needs. Get in touch today to begin the journey toward your best possible quality of life.

What is PTSD and How is it Treated?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects an estimated eight million adults in any given year, reports the Department of Veterans Affairs. Furthermore, about eight in every 100 people will have PTSD at some point during their lifetime. PTSD is a mental health disorder triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. When left untreated, PTSD can disrupt your entire life and eventually lead to other serious health problems including depression, substance abuse, and suicide.

Here’s more about the symptoms and risk factors of PTSD and how this serious mental health disorder can be effectively treated.

What Are Symptoms of PTSD?

Experiencing fear, distress, and anxiety following a traumatic event is completely normal. Many people who experience trauma may be affected by these symptoms short-term, while some may develop ongoing symptoms that eventually turn into PTSD. An adult is officially diagnosed with PTSD when they experience its symptoms for at least one month.

According to the National Institutes of Health, symptoms of PTSD include:

  • At least one avoidance symptom (avoiding thoughts, feelings, places, events, or things related to the traumatic event)
  • At least one re-experiencing symptom (having nightmares, frightening thoughts, and flashbacks of the traumatic event)
  • At least two arousal and reactivity symptoms (feeling on edge, being easily startled, having angry outbursts, having sleep disturbances)
  • At least two cognition and mood symptoms (having negative thoughts about the world, feeling guilt or blame, losing interest in favorite activities, having difficulty remembering key components of the traumatic event)

What Causes PTSD?

According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), researchers remain unsure as to why some people develop PTSD and others don’t. Potential causes include genetics, neurobiology, and meeting one or more PTSD risk factors. Some doctors theorize that PTSD may also be caused by one’s temperament, having a history of stressful experiences or trauma, or having a family history of depression and anxiety.

What Are Risk Factors of PTSD?

PTSD can affect anyone regardless of age—though populations at highest risk include combat veterans and people who have experienced or witnessed an accident, disaster, abuse, a physical or sexual assault, or been encountered with a dangerous weapon.

Other common risk factors of PTSD include:

  • Experiencing a childhood trauma
  • Experiencing a long-term traumatic event
  • Experiencing extra stress following the traumatic event
  • Having feelings of horror, extreme fear, or helplessness
  • Having a personal or family history of mental health disorders
  • Having a history of substance abuse
  • Having no friends, family, or a strong support network
  • Having a job that increases exposure to traumatic events, such as that in the military or law enforcement

How Can PTSD Be Treated?

Medications and psychotherapy are the most common treatments for PTSD. Some people may receive both treatments, while others may receive only one or the other. The goal of PTSD treatment is to help people gain better control of their lives and reduce symptoms such as fear and anxiety related to their disorder.

Antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and prazosin are the medications most commonly used to treat PTSD. Prazosin is an alpha-blocker typically used to treat high blood pressure, but may also be used to treat sleep problems associated with PTSD, reports the NLM.

Exposure therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are common psychotherapies used to treat PTSD. Exposure therapy helps patients face and overcome the trauma by gradually exposing them to it — usually by having them imagine the traumatic event, writing about it, or visiting the place where it happened. CBT helps patients identify and change harmful patterns of thinking that cause them to continually experience symptoms of PTSD, and EMDR uses the patient’s rapid, rhythmic eye movements to reduce the intensity of emotions and memories associated with the trauma.

If you or your loved one is experiencing symptoms of PTSD after having gone through or witnessed a traumatic event, give Alter Behavioral Health a call to discuss your available treatment options.

What is Depression and How is it Treated?

Depression is a common mood disorder that regularly affects an estimated 4.7% of adults in the United States, reports the CDC. Clinical depression causes a wide range of symptoms that can reduce your quality of life and make you feel less like yourself. When left untreated, depression can become progressively worse to cause serious problems including social isolation, substance abuse, and suicide.

Here’s more information about depression and how this serious mood disorder can be effectively treated.

What Are Symptoms of Depression?

Depression is characterized by a wide range of symptoms that often affect each person differently at varying severity levels. Some people may only experience depression once in their lifetime, while others may experience repeated episodes of depression.

According to the National Library of Medicine, common symptoms of depression include:

  • Feelings of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness
  • Feelings of guilt or anxiety
  • Extreme changes in appetite
  • Weight gain or weight loss
  • Irritability and frustration
  • Sudden angry outbursts over small matters
  • Loss of interest and pleasure in favorite hobbies and activities
  • Sleep disturbances including insomnia
  • Tiredness
  • Restlessness
  • Difficulty with memory, thinking, and concentration
  • Physical aches and pains, such as headaches, back pain, and digestive problems
  • Suicidal ideation or suicide attempts

What Causes Depression?

Depression may primarily be triggered by imbalances in brain neurotransmitters that regulate mood, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, reports Frontiers in Psychology. Imbalances in these brain chemicals can be caused by factors such as poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and genetics.

Some people who suffer from depression are shown to have a brain structure that is physically different from those without depression — indicating that biological differences may also cause this mood disorder. Factors that can physically change brain structure include disease, stress, diet, and heavy use of drugs and alcohol.

Other direct causes of depression include having a family history of depression and experiencing hormone imbalances such as that related to pregnancy and menopause.

What Are Risk Factors of Depression?

Some people meet certain risk factors that make them more predisposed to depression than others.

Common risk factors of depression include:

  • Having relatives with a history of mood disorders, substance use disorders, or suicide
  • Having a history of other mental health disorders such as anxiety or borderline personality disorder
  • Being dependent on or addicted to drugs and alcohol
  • Having low self-esteem, being pessimistic, or being overly self-critical
  • Having experienced a traumatic event
  • Having a chronic medical condition such as heart disease or cancer
  • Using certain medications such as sleep aids and anti-hypertensive drugs

Meeting one or more of the above risk factors for depression doesn’t necessarily mean you’re guaranteed to have this mood disorder, though it does mean you should stay aware of your risk factors so you can seek treatment when necessary.

How Can Depression Be Treated?

The most common treatments for depression are medications and psychotherapy. An estimated 6% of people with depression are treated only with medication, while an estimated 65% receive both medication and psychotherapy, reports the National Institutes of Health. An estimated 35% of adults with depression do not receive any type of treatment.

Antidepressant medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) work by balancing levels of brain neurotransmitters to improve your mood. Your doctor will work closely with you to ensure the medications you’re using are effectively treating your depression, as each person responds to medications differently. It’s possible your doctor may switch your medication if depression symptoms persist.

Psychotherapy allows you to talk about your depression with a therapist or another licensed mental health professional. You may receive one or more therapies depending on what your treatment provider offers. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most common and effective forms of psychotherapy, and it helps you change negative beliefs and behaviors with those that are healthier and more positive. Psychotherapy may also help you identify the root causes of your depression, develop healthy coping methods, and set realistic life goals.

If you think you may be suffering from depression, give Alter Behavioral Health a call to ask any questions or to schedule a consultation about available treatment options.

What Are the 7 types of Mental Disorders?

Almost one in five Americans live with a mental health illness. To date, there are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness. These specific mental illnesses typically fall into the seven categories of mental disorders.

1. Anxiety Disorders

Many people experience some anxiety in their lives, but they find that it comes and goes. Individuals who have anxiety disorders don’t see their anxiety go away. Without treatment, an anxiety disorder can progress to the point that the individual feels anxious all the time. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health illness in the United States, impacting an estimated 18.1% of the adult population.

There are many types of anxiety disorders, but some common ones include:

Anxiety disorders can be treated with psychotherapy or medication – or a combination of the two. Therapy will help the individual identify when they feel anxiety and utilize coping mechanisms to reduce the anxious feelings.

2. Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are mental health illnesses that involve emotional challenges. Often, mood disorders cause intense feelings of joy (mania) or sadness (depression) that are hard to manage. While many people have emotional “ups and downs,” individuals with a mood disorder find that these extreme emotional states can last for an extended time.
Some of the most common mood disorders include:

It’s estimated that 6.7% of American adults have at least one depressive episode per year. Mood disorders can be treated with a combination of medication and psychotherapy. If left untreated, mood disorders can lead to potentially dangerous consequences, such as severe depression and suicide ideation.

3. Psychotic Disorders

Psychotic disorders are severe mental illnesses that cause distorted thinking. Individuals under a psychoses episode frequently experience hallucinations or delusions, making them lose touch with reality. When a person loses touch with reality, they often start to distrust those around them and make decisions that put themselves or others in danger. As a result, people with psychotic disorders must get medication and treatment.
The most common psychotic disorders are schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, and brief psychotic disorder. It’s estimated that only 0.25-0.64% of the American population suffers from psychotic disorders.

4. Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a type of mental illness in which the relationship with food is distorted. These disorders seem to focus on food but are actually often a result of deeper problems, such as feelings of control. Eating disorders are extremely serious and require professional intervention for treatment. It’s estimated that 9% of the global population has some form of an eating disorder.

Some common eating disorders are:

  • Anorexia nervosa
  • Bulimia nervosa
  • Binge eating disorder
  • Pica eating disorder
  • Rumination disorder

5. Personality Disorders

A personality disorder is a type of mental disorder in which the person has an unhealthy way of thinking, behaving, and functioning. Personality disorders require psychotherapy for treatment.

Some of the more common personality disorders include:

6. Dementia

Dementia is the broad term for a range of mental health illnesses that cause a person to forget their past. In many cases, this memory loss can become so extreme that it makes it challenging for them to care for themselves.

Some of the more common types of dementia illnesses are:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Huntington’s disease
  • Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

7. Autism

Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, is a developmental condition often diagnosed at an early age. Signs of Autism will present themselves very differently from patient to patient but often include challenges with speech, social situations, and nonverbal communication. Some of the symptoms of autism can be lessened with psychotherapy treatment.

Mental illnesses impact the way a person thinks, behaves, or feels. It can be incredibly challenging on the person and those around them, but treatment can help. Alter Behavioral Health provides care for individuals dealing with primary mental disorders, including depression, OCD, ADHD, anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, mood disorders, and more.

Start today with your free diagnostic test, and we’ll help you get the treatment you need.

What Are Two Common Treatments for Mental Illness?

Mental illness is an umbrella term that covers a vast number of unique conditions. These illnesses vary in terms of cause, character, and treatment. However, there are certain treatments that are effective at treating various illnesses, as well as different methods of handling mental illness that we group into one category. It’s important that a provider is capable of providing different treatments so that they can craft effective, personalized treatment regimens.

Two Common Treatments for Mental Illness

The two leading treatments for mental illness are psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Each of these categories contains various specific treatments, such as specialized therapies or medicines. Some mental illnesses respond well to psychotherapy, while others require medication treatment.

Psychotherapy

The use of psychotherapy techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy to treat mental illness is a rapidly-evolving science. Today, psychotherapy is seen as increasingly necessary in all cases of treating mental illness, although the role it plays varies. Psychotherapy is proven effective in treating conditions such as anxiety In particular, this treatment method is 64% successful in treating depression.

The reason that psychotherapy often works for such conditions is that it’s able to address the root causes of the condition and replace the cycles of thinking that drive them. However, psychotherapy is powerless to cure conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Nonetheless, it plays an important role in helping the person understand their condition and live comfortably even as pharmacotherapy takes center stage.

Pharmacotherapy

Some treatment plans for depression and anxiety don’t involve medication at all, but it’s possible to treat these ailments with medication. However, it’s not necessarily an either/or choice. Some studies have indicated that combined medication therapy and psychotherapy are more effective than either is alone. If you’re in treatment for mental illness and one solution isn’t working for you, then you may want to inquire about trying both together.

While pharmacotherapy is a valuable option in treating most mental illnesses, it’s necessary for treating schizophrenia and psychotic disorders. The first generation of anti-psychotics carried a lot of health risks, but these were an unfortunate necessity. However, the modern suite of second-generation anti-psychotics carries far lesser risks of adverse reactions.

Every person is different, and even two people with the same mental illness may have different needs. Psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy are each valuable treatment methods, and it’s important to get the care that you need if you’re suffering from a mental illness. You can receive the personalized, tailored care you need at Alter Behavioral Health.

Call Alter Behavioral Health

Alter Behavioral Health is an Orange County primary care facility for autism in adults and primary mental health disorders. We apply the latest, evidence-based treatment methodologies and will provide you all of the care you need. If you need to learn more about mental illness treatment, don’t hesitate. Get in touch with us today to find out more about how we can help you.