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It seems that in every sector, the cost to be healthy is rising. Insurance rates are up, medical copays and coinsurance rates are up, prescription medication costs are up. It has become increasingly difficult for Americans who are struggling financially to be healthy.
Mental and emotional health are no exception. Between prescriptions, doctor visits, therapy sessions, and possibly even hospital visits, the costs of having a mental or emotional health condition can quickly grow to a level that is out of reach for the average working American. In fact, a recent report published in Health Affairs shows that mental health conditions cost Americans over $201 billion a year.
Research shows that family and marriage counseling costs can vary widely, ranging from $75 to $200+ per hour. An individual therapy session may cost $75-150+ unless you live in a larger urban area like New York where the range jumps to $200-300+. If you are lucky enough to have insurance that covers counseling services, you will likely pay a specialist copay for each visit. For many plans that can range from $50 to $75+ per session and insurance will likely only cover a limited number of sessions.
It’s tempting to think that emotional and/or mental health is a luxury that you simply can’t afford, but that may be a dangerous mindset. In fact, your mental health (which encompasses psychological, emotional, mental and social well-being) is as important as your physical health.
In this series, we will look at the importance of staying emotionally healthy, the ways we can foster emotional health, some affordable solutions for working through challenges you might face and resources for getting help if you find that you need it.
Let’s start with the reasons why we should invest time, effort and resources into our emotional well-being.
A 2014 Huffington Post article listed 5 important reasons you should stop ignoring your mental health. Here are the most compelling of the list:
We’ve established a case for the importance of emotional and mental well-being, but how can you accomplish that goal if your finances are limited? Stay tuned for the rest of our series. We will discuss the options you have available to take care of yourself emotionally so that you can enjoy a long and happy life as well as meet your financial, relational and personal goals.
Filed Under: Family, Health, Healthy living, Marriage & relationships
Tagged: cost of emotional illness, cost of mental health care, cost of mental illness, counseling, disability, emotionally healthy, importance of emotional health, importance of mental health, mental health, mental illness
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