Here We Go AGAIN!

Frustration with Humana: Struggles in Mental Health Access

The author expresses frustration over inadequate access to mental health services through Humana, detailing two years of failed attempts to secure suitable care. They describe unsatisfactory referrals, unprofessional interactions, and systemic barriers, emphasizing their specific treatment needs remain unmet while feeling belittled and dismissed by providers throughout their journey.

Grievance form regarding: NBH manager, Jessica Taylor

I have been trying to access mental health services through Humana for the past 2 years with zero success. I have tried working with 3 Humana Behavioral Health SWs to help me navigate the mental health system to no avail–all they do is send me a provider list. I can get these unhelpful provider lists on my own through my Humana online account.

The latest attempt by a Humana SW was to put me in contact with Nevada Behavioral health. I was very specific with the NBH manager of what I need–trauma trained therapist in treatment modalities other than EMDR, geriatric mental health trained, narcissistic family dynamics trained, family scapegoating trained, chronic illness mental health trained, neuropsychology trained, and preferably a licensed clinical PSYCHOLOGIST. In addition, I told her I need a DBT refresher, as well as grief and PTSD support.

I received an appt with a clinic that does NOT accept my insurance, has NO sliding scale, has only 2 LCSWs and NO licensed clinical psychologists, offers NO ONE with the training I specified, and offers NONE of the treatment modalities I asked for. On top of this, this clinic specializes in affirming delusions. I am already being called delusional for speaking up about the failures of practitioners in both medical and mental health services.

The NBH manager, Jessica Taylor, was calling me on her personal cellphone showing Paul Berkey, a random human with no affiliation with mental health services, on the caller ID.

I texted Mr Berkey and asked him what he wanted; because, after doing a reverse # lookup, I found he lived near my family members who had been abusing and stalking me. Very suspicious.

Ms Taylor responded saying she could text me a photo of her badge to make me feel more comfortable. What would make me feel more comfortable would have been for a PROFESSIONAL to call from a phone number with a caller ID of that PROFESSIONAL.

I tried to call Ms Taylor and her voicemail box was full and failed to route me to an operator. So, I texted her telling her of my dissatisfaction of being referred to a clinic I could not afford and offering nothing I asked for. Obviously, my specifically expressed needs were IGNORED.

She texted me back saying I could reach out to her again, if I change my mind. Why would I change my mind about receiving services from a clinic I CANNOT AFFORD that offers NOTHING I NEED?

Also, what is up with behavioral health services THROUGH TEXTING? I already had a problem with a clinician in KS threatening to blackball me from her clinic for telling her the DBT through email would not work for me. I have attached the screenshot text thread.

I have attached a detailed accounting of my attempts to access mental health services through Humana providers over the past 2 years. Evidence that my Humana coverage is ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS!

“Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” -The barriers to receiving mental health services, Part 3: Kansas

I returned to Kansas 2/2021, where I had been for 14 years and had received consistent mental health services before moving to Oregon. I attempted to secure mental health services after getting settled into my new apartment.

As I mentioned previously, I am a disabled, senior citizen on Social Security Disability Income and Medicare. My Medicare was administered by Humana in KS. Here is a chronology of my attempts to receive mental health services in KS:

4/2021 called JCMH, had a telehealth intake, was reassigned to the therapist I had before moving to Oregon, assigned a case manager, joined a PTSD support group, asked for a DBT refresher, referral to a grief support group, and an emotional support animal letter for my apartment manager to avoid being charged pet rent for one of my two cats. The DBT group was full. I was told I would receive a list of DBT therapy clinics outside of JCMH.

5/2021 received prescription from Overland Park Regional ER Dr of 25mg Hydroxizine for anxiety after my daughter publicly accused me of a serious crime. Quit PTSD support group for fear of being a disruptive influence to the other women after my daughter’s accusation on top of everything else I was dealing with—uninhabitable living conditions including plumbing leak, storm damage in ceiling, and snakes inside the apartment—in addition to all of the trauma I had come back to KS for to process.

I finally received the DBT list after reminding my therapist about this, the grief support group referral, and the emotional support animal letter.

I called the DBT clinic closest to my residence for an appointment. I was threatened by a DBT therapist that I would be blackballed from her clinic; because, she became offended when I told her the DBT therapy she offered over email would not work for me. With no response from her supervisor, the clinic owner, I filed a formal complaint with the Kansas Behavior Arts & Sciences Board.

I tried another clinic and the following occurred:

5/18/21 11:48am initial call to Lilac Center to request DBT therapy. Call signal dropped after 1 min 15 seconds.

5/18/21 11:50am called Lilac Center to continue original call. Call signal dropped after 5 min 19 seconds.

5/18/21 12:01pm called Lilac Center to finish screening call. Was told I would receive an email with intake appointment confirmation for appointment with Debora Dias Ferreira, LSCSW for 6/21/21 at 1:30pm.

5/18/21 3:21 pm received email confirmation for intake appointment with Debora Dias Ferreira, LSCSW for 6/21/21 at 1:30pm.

6/21/21 1:28pm called Lilac Center because I received no tele-health link for the intake appointment with Debora Dias Ferreira, LSCSW for 6/21/21 at 1:30pm. Call signal dropped after 1 min 20 seconds.

6/21/21 1:30pm called Lilac Center to continue original call. Was told that Debora Dias Ferreira, LSCSW was unavailable and someone else would call me.

6/21/21 1:35pm received phone call from Brianna Ely of Lilac Center who completed my intake appointment and scheduled me with a DBT therapist, Shanakay, for 6/30/21 at 12 noon.

6/21/21 2:52pm received email requesting I fill out an online intake packet.

6/23/21 5:47pm sent email in response after submitting my online intake packet reporting website error for forms I was instructed to download from the landing page after intake packet submission. I received no email confirmation of receipt by Lilac Center of my online intake packet submission and no response to my email reporting the website error. I received no email confirmation of appointment with Shanakay as I had for the appointment with Debora.

6/30/21 12:10pm called Lilac Center because I received no tele-health link for the intake appointment with Shanakay for 6/30/21 at 12 noon and no phone contact from her. Was told someone would call me.

6/30/21 12:30pm received phone call from Lilac Center informing me I had no appointments scheduled. I told her, “This very thing happened with the intake appointment and I received no email confirmation regarding my intake packet submission. If this is the way you people do business, never mind. I get ignored in my life daily. I don’t need to pay for it.” She asked, “You had an intake appointment and filled out an intake packet? Who was your intake worker?”

“I don’t remember; but, it was not the intake worker I was scheduled with.”

“Oh, it looks like Brianna did your intake.”

“Yes and she scheduled me with Shanakay for 12 noon today.”

“There are actually no appointments scheduled for you. Would you like to reschedule.”

“No. Never mind. I don’t need this kind of grief.”

6/30/21 2:56pm received email from Shanakay with instructions for 6/30/21 3pm Individual Therapy Appointment I was never made aware of.

6/30/21 3:04pm missed phone call from private number, presumably from Shanakay for my failure to appear for fabricated 6/30/21 3pm Individual Therapy Appointment and deliberately from her private number to avoid recording.

6/30/21 3:34pm opened my email and saw for the first time the email from Shanakay received in my inbox 6/30/21 at 2:56pm. I responded in an annoyed manner including Connie Rohde, Carol Vicuna, and John O’Connell in a BCC.

7/1/21 12:24pm received a voicemail from Brianna apologizing saying she must have misheard the time of the DBT appointment when it was given to her.

7/2021 received decrease to 10mg of Hydroxizine from JCMH Psychiatrist because 25mg kept me too groggy. Was also prescribed Carbamazepine for anger management; which, I only took once because it caused an altered state in which I mistook my peppermint essential oil for the colloidal silver I was using to battle Pseudomonas aeruginosa in my eyes resulting in a chemical burn of the surface of my cornea.

8/2021 Fired my Mental Health Case Manager for her veiled challenge to my suicidality and for siding with my daughter when I expressed concerns about my daughter driving with Tonic-Clonic seizure activity. I was assigned a new case manager when I refused to have a meeting to try to work things out with the case manager I fired. I told her supervisor I had no intention of working with someone who already expressed their opinions regarding my suicidality and my concerns about my daughter endangering herself, my grandchildren, and others on the road, even if she did act as though she had not already shared her views. I highly doubted being called out would change her opinion and feared she would likely be resentful of my having told her supervisor and it would affect the case management relationship.

10/2021 Fired my new case manager for her last minute cancellations of appointments on four separate occasions. CPTSD added to my diagnoses and I was advised to seek an Autism Spectrum Disorder assessment.

Called my sister and told her I need someone to talk to; because, I am in crisis after being uninvited to my nephew’s funeral after his estranged wife started a smear campaign against me saying I had asked for a plane ticket to attend the funeral. This was a lie. I had asked for someone to Zoom me in on the service; because, my health issues and finances would prohibit me from flying out of State. I had no need to ask anyone for a ticket; because, my stepmother had offered me one and I turned it down because of my health issues. My sister’s response?

If you’re in crisis, talk to a professional. I HAD been trying to talk with professionals to no avail. That is why I called my sister; but, she couldn’t be bothered.

12/2021 Made an appointment for outpatient intensive day treatment; but, changed my mind after reading my mental health records I had ordered to sue apartment management for willful negligence and KU Physicians Health Network for receiving a formal dismissal from services letter despite my life-threatening health conditions. My records indicated the opinion of a clinician that I am an “unreliable historian” while, at the same time, the notes from the visits were missing information giving in-congruent information to what I had reported during the interviews. When I called to cancel, the scheduler was nonchalant and failed to even ask why or if I wanted to reschedule.

Discontinued individual therapy because talk therapy only exacerbated the already overwhelming emotions I was dealing with, it took her 1 month to provide the DBT clinic list, 3 months and 3 reminders from me to receive the support animal letter for landlord, it took her 6 months and 3 reminders from me to provide referral for grief counseling, and I had no transportation to come in to the office for EMDR.

1/2022 After finally finding a clinic which does ASD assessments for those over the age of 18, the clinician failed to confirm the appointment.

1/31/2022 JCMH Cancellation by therapist

2/9/2022 JCMH Cancellation by therapist

3/10/2022 JCMH Cancellation by therapist

3/31/2022 Warmline dissmissive peer support

3/23/2022 Cochran doesn’t take insurance

4/6/2022 Cappo doesn’t take insurance

4/21/2022 Awakenings doesn’t take insurance

5/31/2022 Stacey doesn’t take insurance

6/13/2022 told by National Crisis hotline counselor the line is reserved for actively suicidal

6/23/2022 JCMH no longer does ZOOM appts

8/9/2022 Resolve No new patients

9/6/2022 Galen No Medicare

11/22/2022 Interpersonal never called me after submitting intake packet

12/2/2022 Ark City Clinic Clinician Assistant failed to keep appt without warning

12/4/2022 Eason’s office left me a VM canceling tomorrow’s appt

12/5/2022 Eason failed to keep appt without warning

12/14/2022 I received a voicemail canceling 12/15/2022 appointment.

12/15/2022 Eason sent me an email with ZOOM link as if the cancellation never happened! I saw this email after the appointment time; because, I had no reason to expect it after receiving the voicemail from the clinic the day before canceling the appointment.

This, at the time of year when suicide rates are highest, Mental Health providers are pushing me while I’m in the middle of an Adult Protective issue!!!

12/28/2022 called JCMH Crisis hotline at the advice of the APS worker assigned to my Elder Financial Abuse case.

12/29/2022 went to JCMH for walk-in intake

12/30/2022 went to JCMH for formal assessment of needs

1/5/2023 Received a call from case manager wishing to schedule appt. She hadn’t even read the referral notes. I scheduled with her; but, called a while later and canceled since she had no idea what she was seeing me for.

1/10/2023 Mobile Crisis Team worker called me to assess the situation after I had canceled the appointment with the case manager. She told me she would talk with the Case Management Supervisor to see about getting a different case manager assigned and have her call me.

1/12/2023 Called Mobile Crisis worker to give her the APS SWers contact info.

1/15/2023 Mobile Crisis worker called to schedule an appointment with me. I told her I was not interested in working with JCMH anymore; because the case management supervisor never called me.

1/17/2023 Surprise visit from Mobile Crisis team. Crisis worker said she would call me at least twice during the week to check on me and never did.

1/24/2023 left voicemail on Mobile crisis worker’s voicemail telling her I’m done with JCMH because of their inability to keep their word and follow through or give a heads up when things need to be rescheduled. Received a voicemail three days later from her co-worker who said that worker was out sick…just covering her ass, in my opinion. I wrote a letter to the Director of Johnson County Mental Health.

My former husband made arrangements with me to move me back to Nevada; because, with no medical and mental health help for all I was going through medically and mental health-wise, my health was rapidly deteriorating and he was too distressed with me dealing with this all alone in a semi-rural area.