Basically, I’m wondering if my employer, who pays my health insurance, would be able to find out about any counseling or any medication I get a prescription for and start taking, especially if I use the health insurance they supply to pay for it. Also, would my health insurance premiums go up? Anything else I should be concerned about?
For the curious, I’d like to get treated for anxiety/depression.
I’m in a technological field.
No, it’s an invasion of your privacy for them to get involved in your medical affairs, with a few exceptions being military and people with a clearance. But, with a clearance they’d only be concerned about any behavior implications you may have.
Plus, there really is no centralized database for peoples medical records. I know the FBI wanted to start one but I dunno if it really took off.
It’s against the law for employers to look at your health records, either for medications or for treatment.
Every company-sponsored health insurance plan I’ve seen bases premiums on how many people in your eligible “family” are being covered, and nothing else.
How much you have to pay more often depends on what the available insurance actually covers.
Most large companies these days offer several options for health insurance. Some options pay more for mental health care than others.
You may also find that some plans pay more for “in-plan” than “out-of-plan” providers. This can be problematic. My experience, which seems to hold true among others I know with mental health issues, is that not all providers are created equal! That is, nearly all internists in a major metropolitan area are roughly the same, and you can pick according to price, but you have to pick a therapist that works for you. Some don not work, and should be avoided, even if your insurance pays for it.
The insurance company usually doesn’t exclude pre-existing conditions unless you don’t reveal them when you first sign up.
Despite all this, I’d keep your mental health treatments as private as possible. There’s still stigma and misunderstanding attached to mental health issues. When questions of why I’m having problems related to my mental health come up, I just tell people that I have a medical problem of long standing that sometimes flares up. I treat it with medication, and most of the time I’m OK, but sometimes I have to have the medication adjusted. If they get really nosy, I tell them that the condition can be fatal if not treated, but that medication has proven to be successful in controlling it. Then if they persist in going further, I simply say that it’s a neurochemical problem. That way, I never lie, I make things seem dramatic and “soap opera”-like, but I never admit that I’m mentally ill.
I work in the computer business as a technical individual contributor. In general, I find that it’s what you do that counts, regardless of what’s happening in your life. Do good work, as I’m sure you can, and people won’t worry about other stuff.
Of course I am mentally ill, and I have the paperwork to prove it, but that’s my business. Many people claim to be nuts, and some people are nuts, but I have proof of my own lunacy!
The law has recently changed on how mental illness is covered by insurance. Almost all insurance now has to pay for mental illness treatment at the same rate that they pay for other physical illnesses. You would have to be seen by a physician, of course. For therapy and counselling that is usually a psychiatrist. She or he has an M.D. just as any physician would. Most psychologists do not.
Some insurance policies made the change in October. Some made the change on January 1, and some will make the change at the beginninng of their company’s fiscal year.
Mental patients will not have the old limit of the number of days they can be seen in the hospital either. Check with your insurance company to hear details.
Violation of your privacy is a big no-no.
Remember, you don’t have to explain anything about your medical treatment to your coworkers or boss. If someone gets pushy, you can always say, “Why do you ask?”
There are a few professions where being treated for a mental health issue can impact your career and it’s legal for that to happen. But unless you’re an airline pilot or someone with a security clearance it shouldn’t.
That said, if word does get out, some people will discriminate against you whether it’s legal or not.
In theory, your employer is not supposed to find out about your health record. However, one thing you may want to consider is how is the paperwork handled when you first enroll in the plan, or what is going to happen if you or your company want to switch to a different insurance plan and need to submit a new application. One of the items on those applications, of course, is a list of any pre-existing medical conditions. In my experience, all of those paperworks are always relayed to the insurance company through my employer. I don’t know if there are any laws that say your employer is not supposed to look at what you put on those forms, or whether this is even legal. This is probably a non-issue if you work in a mega corporation with a dedicated HR department, but I work in a very small company where everyone knows everyone. I would have had second thoughts giving that form to the company’s secretary if I have any scandalous medical conditions!
Treatment for depression is not enough to disqualify you from having a security clearance, unless you’re hospitalized. I used to work at a place where everybody had a security clearance, and there were several people there who were on antidepressants.
This is not universal, sadly. It only applies to group plans for businesses with more than 50 employees.
FWIW, one of my daughter’s doctors told us that insurers are now barred from denying or limiting coverage of outpatient mental health services for minors.