The Importance Of Sliding Scale Counseling

By Angela Cole


Depression and its related conditions are no mean feat. Its certainly not a negligible situation to find oneself in. Which is why people who find themselves in this condition should go on and consult a licensed psychiatrist or therapist. It goes without mentioning that this isnt a particularly altruistic line of work. One would need to pay some or other means of currency in order to avail this service. If one finds himself unable to pay fixed fees, he can go on and check sliding scale counseling santa rosa ca.

No matter how noble the profession, doctors and therapists do need some compensation for their hard work. At the end of the day, it is more tantamount to business rather than service. It just so happens that its a particularly helpful and compassionate line of business.

Medical expenses can therefore be a pain in the neck in more ways than one. Those that think they can wangle their condition learn to live with it and just opt not to avail the necessary medical attention. They think that the problem will fix itself or just eventually go away.

Among the social services forwarded by enterprising lawmakers and government officials are healthcare services and Medicaid. This is because everyone, at some point in his or her life, will get to need medical attention unpredictable and unwarranted moments.

The irony is that those who are underprivileged and poor are those often hit hard by crippling diseases and some such conditions, including mental illnesses. These are the types of people who are getting by life hard, gleaning meager necessities paycheck by paycheck. Those salvaging what they could so that they can pay their way through the rarified word of college. Those that have such cosmic debts and those who are struggling to take care of dependents. And there are the elderly who dont have the means to pay for healthcare.

For example there are those with hounds of children and dependents are barely getting by paycheck to paycheck. There are the students painstakingly paying their way through college. The elderly who have limited financial support. Those whove significant debts, and the unemployed.

Needless to say, this leaves them particularly vulnerable when the storm does come. They dont have the immediate hard cash and most dont have financial security and safety nets in the nifty form of insurance. Or it could be that the service they specifically need is not covered by the policies of insurance companies.

The very thing to do in this regard would be to approach medical facilities and practitioners that offer sliding scale fees. This kind of paying system enables clients to pay their due according to their annual income. Very much like the mechanism of taxation. Through this, patients are paying at a common rate with each other, commensurate with what they earn. The best thing about it, though, is that they are offered selfsame services no matter where theyre coming from. Practitioners dont discriminate, and more often than not, they dont really know whos paying what.

Undeniably, there are also pitfalls in this kind of system. One is essentially undercharging certain individuals for the same quality of service granted to those who are paying the set market price. It will also necessitate one to work longer hours to compensate for the lowered fees. And when alls said and done, there might be errors in the computations and benefits may be granted to those who dont even deserve them. When alls said and done, practicality is the point of the matter, and whats to consider is that higher prices done necessarily equal to greater profits. In fact, it might persuade customers to do away with a service that they consider extraneous. In the end, a sliding scale may still be deemed better than nothing.




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