Dear all:
It is not just dentists that are moving towards out of network, many psychologists are trying to move towards that payment model as well.  My husband is finding the paperwork so challenging and the reimbursement so limiting that he has gradually reduced the number of insurance companies he works with to one.  He may decide to go back to accepting some insurance companies if his clientele drops too much, but some of the insurance companies pay so little and require so much paperwork that it is not worth his time.

Similarly, there are more and more pediatric practices that have stopped taking insurance.  I get complaints all the time from parents on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that they have to travel to the West Side and now I'm getting parents complaining they are having a hard time finding pediatricians on the West Side.

Personally, there is ZERO incentive for me or most private practice IBCLCs in my area to be on an insurance provider panel.  I would not receive more referrals, I would only reduce my income.  Group clinics and a sliding scale are my own means of ensuring that women have affordable options.  Personally, I actually find women who come to the groups fare better whether or not they have a home visit generally do better than those who ONLY have the home visit because they get the communal support as well as ongoing support. 

Best, Susan Burger 

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