My state currently does this! Medicaid is currently the only payer that will allow LCSWs under supervision to bill for services. Which is frustrating to me because LPC's have a provisional licence in my state (LPC-C) and can bill quite a few commercial companies.
It's not as amazing in practice as it sounds. Also make sure you check and see what percentage your state's medicaid pays. Frequently, medicaid reimbursement is referred to as a % of medicare reimbursement. For example, my state has a high-ish rate, Medicaid (SoonerCare) pays at 95% of medicare rates. This is not the norm and in some states it can go as low as 30% for some services. So keep in mind that many agencies will only pay you a percentage of your billed hours. Which sounds ridiculous to me, because supposedly we can't work as contractors during our supervision, and this seems like just skirting the rules. So SOME (not all) agencies get around this by calling you an "employee." Yet really, you are getting paid the same way a contractor does. Dr. E talks a lot about how PP works, and how she was frustrated with her split (I wish I could tag her so she could correct me if needed), and basically I've been discovering that it works the same way for LCSWs under supervision. A bad split is 50%, while a really great split is 85%. You are right, a payer is better than no payers, but it still feels like breadcrumbs haha.
I think it would be incredible if a commercial payer got on board. If BCBS hopped on, then the others would soon follow. I am currently looking for jobs that pay a straight salary rather than % of billing. I'm personally really uncomfortable with marketing myself and I don't want to worry about no-shows or not getting paid on weeks I go to conferences. I'd really like to be certified in MI, and I'll need to travel for that. I'm still new at this for goodness sake? Can I please just focus on being a better therapist? Can I hone my craft at ALL?? LOL. Now after I get my license I'll expand my horizons, but as of now I'd prefer to focus on gaining skills rather than worrying about everything that goes along with PP. Typically with integrated MH, they pay you a set salary anyway, and the practice keeps your billing $$. In the practices I have experience with, the billed $$ does not equal the salary. Except for in my current clinic, but we are IHS and the billing for integrated services is an entirely different animal and they have entirely different rules that go completely contrary to the national standard.
