Help After Anxiety Treatment Denial
There’s nothing quite like having an anxiety treatment denied by insurance after your doctor prescribed the treatment because he or she believed it would help your symptoms—and thus your life—improve significantly. The hope you had that this new treatment could help you get your future back on track could be dashed when you receive an insurance denial for the treatment from your insurance company. It’s normal for everyone to feel anxious from time to time—and anxiety can actually motivate us to solve problems, making us aware of risks. Anxiety can be a serious problem, however, when it affects how we live our day-to-day lives. Some individuals have anxiety that is chronic, intense, hard to control, and perhaps out of proportion to the actual situation. A February 2024 KFF study found that in 2021 and 2022, 21.2% of all adolescents, 30.6% of female adolescents, and 43.3% of LGBTQ adolescents experienced anxiety in the past two weeks.
Anxiety can affect both your body and your mind, leaving you with a chronic feeling of dread, making it difficult for you to concentrate, causing irritability and depression, and leaving you feeling detached from the world around you. There are certain medications and treatments that may significantly alleviate your symptoms of anxiety. If your doctor has recommended one of these medications or treatments only to have your insurer refuse to pay, you need to speak to attorney Scott Glovsky as soon as possible. An anxiety treatment denied by insurance can feel like the end of the world. Don’t despair, call the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky.
Why Might Your Anxiety Treatment Be Denied by Insurance?
An anxiety treatment denied by insurance requires immediate action. Your treatment may have been denied for a relatively simple issue related to a paperwork mistake, which can be corrected and resubmitted. The treatment may have been denied because there was no prior authorization, or because your provider was out of network. If the treatment is expensive, it could be denied by your provider, under the guise of being “experimental,” or “investigational.”
An anxiety treatment denied by insurance usually comes down to money. Insurance companies will do anything and everything to protect their financial bottom line, but when that goal infringes on your rights as a policyholder, it is essential that you speak to attorney Scott Glovsky. Scott has been passionately protecting people in similar positions for many, many years. This is not a time to hope for the best regarding an anxiety treatment denied by insurance, rather it is the time to contact the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky.
What Should You Do About Anxiety Treatment Denied by Insurance?
Once you receive a written denial of your anxiety treatment denied by insurance, you need to take immediate action. Your insurance company is required to provide a written explanation of your denial of benefits. If the denial is based on something that can be easily corrected, then you will do that. Otherwise, you may be forced to file an internal appeal. An internal appeal asks your insurer to reconsider its denial, approving your anxiety treatment. A letter from your physician that explains why you need this particular treatment is very helpful during this appeal.
Having an experienced health insurance treatment denial attorney guiding you through the appeal process can ensure it goes smoothly, with a much higher likelihood of a denial reversal. If the internal appeal does not result in an approval for your anxiety treatment, you can file an external appeal. This places the decision of whether to approve your anxiety treatment with a third party, whose decision is binding. We recommend speaking with an experienced health insurance attorney before you file an external appeal, however, to receive guidance on the best path to take.
Which Insurers Are Most Likely to Deny Your Anxiety Treatment?
Virtually any health insurance company can deny your anxiety treatment, particularly if it is a relatively expensive treatment. Some insurers are more likely to deny treatments than others. California insurers that may deny your healthcare treatment include UnitedHealthcare, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, HealthNet, Kaiser, or Aetna, along with others. Regardless of which insurer denies your anxiety treatment, contacting the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky is an important step in the process. With a history of impressive results against large healthcare insurers, attorney Scott Glovsky is ready to help you through this difficult time.
What Are Some of the Most Common Anxiety Treatments?
The top medications to treat symptoms of anxiety include:
- Benzodiazepines include drugs like Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, Tranxene, and Librium. Benzodiazepines increase levels of GABA in the body, calming the nerves, and minimizing anxiety symptoms. Ativan costs approximately $3,000 for 60 tablets.
- Beta-blockers like Inderal, Sectral, and Zebeta block the effect of adrenaline in the body, lowering the rate and force of heart contractions; the cost is approximately $300 for thirty tablets.
- SNRIs like Pristiq, Cymbalta, and Effexor increase the brain levels of the “feel-good” hormones, serotonin and norepinephrine. Cymbalta costs approximately $710 for sixty capsules. The cost of Effexor is about $1,300 for sixty capsules.
- Drugs like Lexapro, Prozac, and Celexa are SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which increase the levels of serotonin in the brain to reduce anxiety and depression. Celexa costs about $700 for sixty capsules.
- Tofranil, Elavil, and Sinequan are tricyclic anti-anxiety drugs that restore the balance of specific neurotransmitters in the brain. These anti-anxiety drugs increase the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine while reducing acetylcholine levels.
- Buspar and Vanspar are anti-anxiety drugs that modulate serotonin levels in the brain.
- Antipsychotic medications like Seroquel, Risperdal, and Abilify alter the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain like dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, and adrenaline. Abilify costs about $600 for 30 tablets.
- Antihistamine drugs like Sominex, Atarax, and Visaril can block certain receptors in the brain responsible for anxiety.
- Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate are monoamine oxidase inhibitors that block MAO enzymes in the brain. MAO breaks down “feel-good” neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in the body. Marplan can cost as much as $600 per month.
- Alpha-blockers like Minipress block the action of the hormone norepinephrine in the brain and are usually prescribed for serious PTSD and anxiety symptoms. 250 tablets of 1 mg. Minipress costs about $600.
The FDA has approved a phase 2b study of an optimized form of LSD for the treatment of anxiety. The drug—MM-120—is intended to treat anxiety disorders as well as certain other mental conditions.
Which Anxiety Treatments Are Most Likely to Be Denied?
An anxiety treatment denied by insurance can be a frustrating experience. Anxiety can be a crippling disease for millions. In fact, Generalized Anxiety Disorder affects at least 6.8 million American adults—3.1 percent of the population, while Panic Disorder affects about 2.7 percent of the U.S. population. Only about 43 percent of these will receive any type of treatment for their anxiety disorder.
Women are about twice as likely as men to be affected by GAD, which often co-occurs with major depression. If you live with anxiety, you know the toll it can take on your day-to-day life, including your work, relationships, and recreational activities. If your doctor has prescribed an anti-depressant medication or other anxiety treatment and your insurance is refusing to pay for the treatment, attorney Scott Glovsky can help you get the treatment you need.
Getting the Help You Need from the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky
You do not need to face an anxiety treatment denied by insurance alone. The Law Offices of Scott Glovsky can help you get the medications or treatments you need to control your anxiety. It can be demoralizing to discover that the people you’ve paid to protect you are the first to turn their backs on you. Attorney Scott Glovsky is here to tell you to never give up. Scott will fight for you, standing strong by your side, never backing away from battling a large insurer on your behalf. Scott will make sure you feel protected and valued as he works to ensure you get the treatments and medications you need. Contact the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky today.