What is the Obamacare Effect on Speech Therapy?

What is the Obamacare Effect on Speech Therapy?

by Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP Financial Resources

I must state upfront that I am primarily a speech and language clinician rather than a health care policy expert. This post is not intended to be exhaustive or comprehensive, but rather an overview of what you might expect from this significant policy change. What is the Obamacare Effect on Speech Therapy? The primary intention of ObamaCare is to provide health coverage for every American while introducing reforms that would try to control the recent dramatic rise in health care costs. Not all provisions of the law have taken effect yet; some still have yet to roll out. Nevertheless this is a noble and ambitious goal, one that will require a major rethink of how speech therapy, in particular, is delivered.
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Obamacare: Speech Therapy under the Affordable Care Act

Obamacare: Speech Therapy under the Affordable Care Act

by Adrienne P. Financial Resources

With the last day to enroll in or change healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Sunday, January 31, many parents may be wondering about coverage benefits for their children. It can be hard to know how to sort through coverage details in the ACA, also called Obamacare or simply ‘the health care law.’ At Speech Buddies, we often get questions about Obamacare speech therapy and insurance coverage, so let’s sift through elements of the ACA that will be relevant to you and your children if your family requires speech therapy services.
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Out-of-Network Speech Therapy Benefits

Out-of-Network Speech Therapy Benefits

by Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP Financial Resources

Recently, I discussed the generally unfavorable state of affairs around health insurance for speech therapy services. Despite this, all is not lost. Not by any means! Many of my own clients are able to take advantage of out-of-network speech therapy benefits for health care reimbursement, which can provide a significant savings for families. In this same vein, a previous post of mine covered Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Today’s post focuses on what parents need to know in order to access those precious out-of-network speech and language therapy benefits. As with anything insurance-related, initially it can be a bit complicated. The hope is that, armed with this information, you will be better able to get the benefits you actually pay for, and in as timely a manner as possible.

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Insurance Coverage for Speech Therapy

Insurance Coverage for Speech Therapy

by Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP Financial Resources

I am occasionally asked whether I directly accept health insurance. The short answer is that I do not. This is a somewhat fraught issue for me in my practice, I do have to admit. After all, my family and I have health insurance and I fundamentally believe in increasing access to all who are in need of any service. However, the harsh reality is that currently, insurance coverage for speech therapy typically would deny coverage for any service that treats a disability that is “developmental” in nature. Often, insurance coverage for speech therapy requires medical necessity, or has resulted from a specific injury or illness, something that is increasingly difficult to establish and quite infrequently the reason for a speech or language challenge. Most speech pathologists, myself included, work with children whose challenges are indeed developmental in nature. So, even if I were to directly participate with the leading health insurance providers, most of the children I see wouldn’t even be able to use their insurance for what it is specifically I am treating. This blog post is dedicated to sharing more experiences with health insurance for speech therapy and helping you, the parent, find the best speech and language therapy option for your child.

Photo 2012-226 My New Teacher Desk by Denise Krebs

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