Thursday, December 15, 2011

Cost to Medicare of my Psychiatric Treatment

I entered the D.C. Department of Mental Health (DMH) system in June 1996, 15 years ago.

I have been seeing psychiatrists each week in the system for the last 15 years. Assume the DMH charges Medicare at a rate of $135 per consult. (That's a very conservative estimate). The total billed to Medicare by the DMH would be $105,300.  But then I am also provided psychiatric treatment by the McClendon Center, which also bills Medicare. 

If I were employed and had medical insurance, a private company would pay for my psychiatric treatment.  Instead, because I am disabled and unemployable -- thanks to the D.C. Government and the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld -- the federal government pays for my treatment.

God Bless America!!

1 comment:

My Daily Struggles said...

Three psychiatrists have diagnosed me with paranoid schizophrenia, but the illness is asymptomatic.