At NOCD, our mission is to create a world where no matter where you live or how much money you make, you can access effective OCD treatment. Several weeks ago, we achieved a major milestone towards that goal: we expanded our network of licensed therapists with specialty training in OCD and ERP to all 50 states, removing the location-based barriers to treatment that have plagued the community for decades. Now, people with OCD throughout the United States can readily access a specialty-trained, licensed therapist inside the NOCD platform.
Yet, despite this vast improvement in accessibility, cost is often a roadblock that still prevents many Americans from getting treatment. NOCD is rapidly addressing this problem, too, by making ERP more affordable and partnering with many health plans to cover ERP. But, there are still strides to be made.
Many insurance companies serve people who are in Medicaid populations, but given the difficulties surrounding Medicaid partnerships, licensed therapists who treat OCD, like NOCD Therapists, often don’t accept Medicaid in many states. The reimbursement rates for treatment are often significantly below market value, which prevents therapists who specialize in OCD from becoming in-network. Sadly, this ultimately restricts low-income people with OCD from accessing quality treatment. We live in the 21st century, and people on Medicaid should be able to access high-quality OCD treatment, too – so this needs to change.
That’s why NOCD is offering an immediate solution along with OCD Gamechangers, a nonprofit for individuals, families, and clinicians for OCD. We are supporting OCD Gamechanger’s ERP Therapy Scholarship Program, launching in 2021 – a fund meant to help low-income people with OCD access ERP Therapy at no cost.
Now, for every person with OCD who signs up for NOCD Therapy through OCD Gamechangers, NOCD will contribute $100 to the 2021 ERP Therapy Scholarship Program. The best part: people with OCD supported by the program can select any ERP therapist they’d like for treatment. We want people to be empowered to get care on their terms with whomever they’d like, as long as their clinician offers evidence-based treatment.
Our partnership with OCD Gamechangers marks only the beginning of our commitment to making OCD therapy more affordable. Eventually, our goal is to partner with every health insurance community, no matter whether it’s a commercial or public sector plan, to allow everyone with OCD to access insurance-sponsored treatment. While we continue to work hard to accomplish this, we are proud to launch this initiative with Chrissie Hodges and her team of amazing OCD advocates and clinicians at the OCD Gamerchangers foundation.
For more information about OCD Gamechangers and their incredible work, check out their website here.
If you or someone you know is struggling with OCD, you can schedule a free call today with the NOCD clinical team to learn more about how a licensed therapist can help. At NOCD, all therapists specialize in OCD and receive ERP-specific training. ERP is most effective when the therapist conducting the treatment has experience with OCD and training in ERP.
