#therapistpayrights — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #therapistpayrights, aggregated by home.social.

fetched live

Psychology News Robot @[email protected] · 2026-06-12 · 15:35 UTC

DATE: June 12, 2026 at 08:10AM
SOURCE: PsiAN Psychotherapy Action Network
TITLE: Aetna's Reimbursement Cuts: What Therapists Need to Know
URL: https://www.psian.org/blog/aetna-psychotherapy-reimbursement-cuts
Recent announcements by Alma/Spring Health of significant reductions in reimbursement rates for those with Aetna insurance plans and other policy changes have made waves in the mental health space. These changes will reduce access to psychotherapy for the public and further impinge on therapists’ capacity to manage their practices and earn a living wage, at a time when the need for effective mental healthcare is concerningly high.
Starting in July 2026, clinicians billing Aetna through Alma/Spring Health will see a significant reduction in reimbursement rates. Reimbursement rates for those with doctoral degrees will decrease to match the master’s-level rates. A common 53-60-minute psychotherapy session will no longer be appropriately valued; it will be paid at the same rate as if only 38-52 minutes of patient care were provided.
Aetna also announced the introduction of its own mental health platform, Mental Health On Demand, coming in 2027. It will be staffed by individuals trained in “single-session interventions” and will include an AI agent that responds to new patient inquiries within 13 seconds.
So, within one week, we see Aetna reduce payments for psychotherapy while promoting its own AI single-session tool. Taken together, Aetna seems to be communicating that the future of mental healthcare for its customers is a single acute-crisis-management session.
What We DidWe wrote to Aetna, Spring Health, and Alma, voicing our concerns over these misguided policies that will likely only make it harder for the public to access psychotherapy. We hope our letters represent your concerns and are a strong support for the public and the therapy professions. We will keep you posted about the responses we receive.
The Bigger PictureThese announcements are not an isolated incident. They are part of a larger attack on mental health therapists and independent practice, and the further deprofessionalization of clinical care. They are a stark continuation of the insurance industry's discriminatory payment and administrative policies, which have reduced access to care and pushed psychotherapists to leave or refrain from participating in insurance networks.
To increase access to mental healthcare, the exact opposite needs to happen. Therapists must be paid more, not less, so that longstanding inequities between mental healthcare and medical/surgical care are eliminated. Also, sufficient time must be allotted for therapy to work and for healing to occur.
Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN) is committed to education, empowerment, and long-term actions needed to push back against the intrusions of venture capital and for-profit health insurance companies seeking to profit at therapists' expense, control the market, dictate care, and data-mine client and clinician information. Our mission is to advocate for greater access to psychotherapy and to support the clinicians who provide that care.
We believe that when therapists have the independence and autonomy to practice ethically and responsibly, our patients receive the best possible care. We don’t need more middlemen siphoning off profit and getting between therapists and their clients, dictating how and under what conditions psychotherapy should be done. What therapists need is appropriate reimbursement, adequate support from the healthcare system, and the removal of barriers to serving their communities.
These issues will not be solved overnight or by any single individual or organization. We invite you to join us in the long haul to fight for the soul of our profession. We also want to share a few resources to help therapists create and sustain their own independent practice.
What You Can Do
Educate yourself
•Read our letter to Aetna, Spring Health, and Alma
•
•Read our research report to understand how Alma and similar companies operate: New Research Reveals Therapists’ Concerns About Corporate Practice Management Companies (PMCs).
•
•Visit our Private Practice Toolkit to learn business tips on how to create your own independent private practice, and also the key questions you need to ask prior to using a practice management company.
•
•Read this new article, Holding the Frame in an Era of Corporate Care, by our Chair and Co-Founder, Linda Michaels, to understand how and why the erosion of clinicians’ autonomy is so problematic.
•
If you work with Alma, sign this
•If you work with Alma, sign this petition drafted by the Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force of Build Better Health.
•
Contact your elected officials
•Regardless of whether or not you work with Alma or any practice management company, contact your state and national elected representatives and tell them you support mental health parity (such as Illinois HB1085) and anti-vertical-integration policies (such as S. 3822: Break Up Big Medicine Act). PsiAN is supporting the Break Up Big Medicine Act and is a member of the coalition fighting for it. Tell your elected officials why this is important to you and how you are being negatively impacted by private equity, venture capital, big tech, and big insurance.
•See a sample statement below.*
•
•Find your representatives here.
•
•
Get connected, stay involved
•Join us at PsiAN and become a sustaining member. Through the power of our collective action, we can push back and successfully stand up for the principles and ethics of effective psychotherapy.
•
•If you are a leader of a professional association or group, reach out to us to partner on advocacy efforts.
•
•Don’t lose hope! These problems were created by humans and can be solved with collective action. This is absolutely not “just the way it is.” A better, more equitable environment for both therapists and our clients is possible.
•

Sample letter, please customize as indicated below and include your own personal thoughts and experiences
Dear Representative [Last Name],
I hope this letter finds you well. My name is [Your Full Name], and I am a constituent residing at [Your Address] in [Your City, State, ZIP Code]. I am a psychotherapist with a degree in [Your discipline] and have been in practice for [X] years. I am writing to express my concerns about the intrusion of venture capital and for-profit health insurance companies into the therapy and mental health fields, and to urge you to take action on this matter.
As your constituent, I strongly believe that legislation is needed to limit vertical integration and market consolidation in healthcare, as well as the intrusion of venture capital, to avoid further degradation of care quality. Mental health services, such as psychotherapy, are unique in the healthcare space in that they require a high level of personal involvement, a trusting relationship with a clinician, time to achieve healing, and the sharing of highly sensitive information with providers. The therapeutic space and intimate patient information must be protected from outside influence and privacy intrusions.
I support S. 3822, the Break Up Big Medicine Act, and state-level legislation such as HB1085 in Illinois, and I respectfully ask that you do the same. These are vital steps needed to ensure people can access private, ethical, and effective mental health services. This issue is deeply personal to me because [share a brief personal connection or impact].
Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue. I trust that you will represent the best interests of our district and would appreciate a response outlining your position on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me at [Your Phone Number] or [Your Email Address] if you require additional information.
Sincerely,[Your Full Name][Your Address][City, State, ZIP Code]
URL: https://www.psian.org/blog/aetna-psychotherapy-reimbursement-cuts
-------------------------------------------------
The Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN) advocates for awareness, policies and access to psychotherapies that create meaningful change. They offer membership and educational events.
Learn more at https://www.psian.org .
The PsiAN blog can be found at: https://www.psian.org/blog
This news robot is NOT officially affiliated with PsiAN. It merely rebroadcasts from their blog. Responses posted here are not monitored by PsiAN.
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #PsiAN #psychotherapist #psychoanalytic #psychodynamic #depththerapy #AetnasReimbursementCuts #TherapistPayRights #MentalHealthParity #PrivatePracticeAdvocacy #BreakUpBigMedicine #PracticeManagementCompanies #PsychotherapyAccess #AlmaSpringHealth #PsiAN #IndependentPracticeMatter

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy #mentalhealth #psychiatry
Psychology News Robot @[email protected] · 2026-06-12 · 15:35 UTC

DATE: June 12, 2026 at 08:10AM
SOURCE: PsiAN Psychotherapy Action Network
TITLE: Aetna's Reimbursement Cuts: What Therapists Need to Know
URL: https://www.psian.org/blog/aetna-psychotherapy-reimbursement-cuts
Recent announcements by Alma/Spring Health of significant reductions in reimbursement rates for those with Aetna insurance plans and other policy changes have made waves in the mental health space. These changes will reduce access to psychotherapy for the public and further impinge on therapists’ capacity to manage their practices and earn a living wage, at a time when the need for effective mental healthcare is concerningly high.
Starting in July 2026, clinicians billing Aetna through Alma/Spring Health will see a significant reduction in reimbursement rates. Reimbursement rates for those with doctoral degrees will decrease to match the master’s-level rates. A common 53-60-minute psychotherapy session will no longer be appropriately valued; it will be paid at the same rate as if only 38-52 minutes of patient care were provided.
Aetna also announced the introduction of its own mental health platform, Mental Health On Demand, coming in 2027. It will be staffed by individuals trained in “single-session interventions” and will include an AI agent that responds to new patient inquiries within 13 seconds.
So, within one week, we see Aetna reduce payments for psychotherapy while promoting its own AI single-session tool. Taken together, Aetna seems to be communicating that the future of mental healthcare for its customers is a single acute-crisis-management session.
What We DidWe wrote to Aetna, Spring Health, and Alma, voicing our concerns over these misguided policies that will likely only make it harder for the public to access psychotherapy. We hope our letters represent your concerns and are a strong support for the public and the therapy professions. We will keep you posted about the responses we receive.
The Bigger PictureThese announcements are not an isolated incident. They are part of a larger attack on mental health therapists and independent practice, and the further deprofessionalization of clinical care. They are a stark continuation of the insurance industry's discriminatory payment and administrative policies, which have reduced access to care and pushed psychotherapists to leave or refrain from participating in insurance networks.
To increase access to mental healthcare, the exact opposite needs to happen. Therapists must be paid more, not less, so that longstanding inequities between mental healthcare and medical/surgical care are eliminated. Also, sufficient time must be allotted for therapy to work and for healing to occur.
Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN) is committed to education, empowerment, and long-term actions needed to push back against the intrusions of venture capital and for-profit health insurance companies seeking to profit at therapists' expense, control the market, dictate care, and data-mine client and clinician information. Our mission is to advocate for greater access to psychotherapy and to support the clinicians who provide that care.
We believe that when therapists have the independence and autonomy to practice ethically and responsibly, our patients receive the best possible care. We don’t need more middlemen siphoning off profit and getting between therapists and their clients, dictating how and under what conditions psychotherapy should be done. What therapists need is appropriate reimbursement, adequate support from the healthcare system, and the removal of barriers to serving their communities.
These issues will not be solved overnight or by any single individual or organization. We invite you to join us in the long haul to fight for the soul of our profession. We also want to share a few resources to help therapists create and sustain their own independent practice.
What You Can Do
Educate yourself
•Read our letter to Aetna, Spring Health, and Alma
•
•Read our research report to understand how Alma and similar companies operate: New Research Reveals Therapists’ Concerns About Corporate Practice Management Companies (PMCs).
•
•Visit our Private Practice Toolkit to learn business tips on how to create your own independent private practice, and also the key questions you need to ask prior to using a practice management company.
•
•Read this new article, Holding the Frame in an Era of Corporate Care, by our Chair and Co-Founder, Linda Michaels, to understand how and why the erosion of clinicians’ autonomy is so problematic.
•
If you work with Alma, sign this
•If you work with Alma, sign this petition drafted by the Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force of Build Better Health.
•
Contact your elected officials
•Regardless of whether or not you work with Alma or any practice management company, contact your state and national elected representatives and tell them you support mental health parity (such as Illinois HB1085) and anti-vertical-integration policies (such as S. 3822: Break Up Big Medicine Act). PsiAN is supporting the Break Up Big Medicine Act and is a member of the coalition fighting for it. Tell your elected officials why this is important to you and how you are being negatively impacted by private equity, venture capital, big tech, and big insurance.
•See a sample statement below.*
•
•Find your representatives here.
•
•
Get connected, stay involved
•Join us at PsiAN and become a sustaining member. Through the power of our collective action, we can push back and successfully stand up for the principles and ethics of effective psychotherapy.
•
•If you are a leader of a professional association or group, reach out to us to partner on advocacy efforts.
•
•Don’t lose hope! These problems were created by humans and can be solved with collective action. This is absolutely not “just the way it is.” A better, more equitable environment for both therapists and our clients is possible.
•

Sample letter, please customize as indicated below and include your own personal thoughts and experiences
Dear Representative [Last Name],
I hope this letter finds you well. My name is [Your Full Name], and I am a constituent residing at [Your Address] in [Your City, State, ZIP Code]. I am a psychotherapist with a degree in [Your discipline] and have been in practice for [X] years. I am writing to express my concerns about the intrusion of venture capital and for-profit health insurance companies into the therapy and mental health fields, and to urge you to take action on this matter.
As your constituent, I strongly believe that legislation is needed to limit vertical integration and market consolidation in healthcare, as well as the intrusion of venture capital, to avoid further degradation of care quality. Mental health services, such as psychotherapy, are unique in the healthcare space in that they require a high level of personal involvement, a trusting relationship with a clinician, time to achieve healing, and the sharing of highly sensitive information with providers. The therapeutic space and intimate patient information must be protected from outside influence and privacy intrusions.
I support S. 3822, the Break Up Big Medicine Act, and state-level legislation such as HB1085 in Illinois, and I respectfully ask that you do the same. These are vital steps needed to ensure people can access private, ethical, and effective mental health services. This issue is deeply personal to me because [share a brief personal connection or impact].
Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue. I trust that you will represent the best interests of our district and would appreciate a response outlining your position on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me at [Your Phone Number] or [Your Email Address] if you require additional information.
Sincerely,[Your Full Name][Your Address][City, State, ZIP Code]
URL: https://www.psian.org/blog/aetna-psychotherapy-reimbursement-cuts
-------------------------------------------------
The Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN) advocates for awareness, policies and access to psychotherapies that create meaningful change. They offer membership and educational events.
Learn more at https://www.psian.org .
The PsiAN blog can be found at: https://www.psian.org/blog
This news robot is NOT officially affiliated with PsiAN. It merely rebroadcasts from their blog. Responses posted here are not monitored by PsiAN.
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #PsiAN #psychotherapist #psychoanalytic #psychodynamic #depththerapy #AetnasReimbursementCuts #TherapistPayRights #MentalHealthParity #PrivatePracticeAdvocacy #BreakUpBigMedicine #PracticeManagementCompanies #PsychotherapyAccess #AlmaSpringHealth #PsiAN #IndependentPracticeMatter

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy #mentalhealth #psychiatry