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Odd_Description_2295 t1_iwe4o09 wrote

Mental health services are good if you live in a populated area. If you are a rural, you are going to have to drive.

Medicaid is great, if you can get on it. My wife and kids are covered and the coverage is far better than my private insurer in every way.

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RedStar9117 t1_iwei9jd wrote

Months of waiting if you're a new mental health patient

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Riverrun221 OP t1_iwejcq9 wrote

That is a bit alarming to me . Maybe if I get health care in an emergency I can get my medication from an urgent care?

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PinsAndBeetles t1_iwemzpi wrote

I’m sure if you speak to your current provider they can work with assisting in getting records transferred ahead of time and possibly give you a cushion supply of medication. The wait to see a psychiatrist depends on the area, and a primary care doctor may assist until you get an appointment. Telehealth is an option as well. When you apply in PA for Medicaid your application is usually processed in under 30 days as long as you provide a signed application, income verification, etc. If you’re in an area where UPMC is available it is one of the best Medicaid plans. You’ll get an enrollment packet when you’re approved and can select. Dental coverage is not the best. Make sure you show proof of your closure date in your previous state.

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secret-bid1121 t1_iwetb4q wrote

Is it a $0 pay plan with UPMC? I have Aetna -0- pay plan & didn’t get a lot of things they said I would. I’m looking for something that covers Specialists (Aetna is $35 & PCP $5) but from what they told me everything is increasing on all carriers. I was supposed to have no cost for generic meds & just had to pay $100 for a new one so now being told it depends what grade it falls into.

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PinsAndBeetles t1_iweva13 wrote

The UPMC for You is a Medicaid managed care plan that is $0 pay and has little to no copays. There is $0 copay for in network doctors and nearly all medications. Again, this specific UPMC plan is a Medicaid plan, but overall I’ve had positive experiences with UPMC overall. I had it at my old job vs Aetna at my current one and the UPMC was better overall.

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RedStar9117 t1_iwekjgz wrote

Yeahbthats probably easier but I'm trying to get my kid a psychiatrist and it's going to be months

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RedStar9117 t1_iweklgx wrote

I'm near Gettysburg so it's not a very populous area

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MungoJennie t1_iwjn8gn wrote

This is a big issue in PA. I used to be able to have my PCP write all my scripts, including the ones for my ADHD, and anxiety, but now I have to rely on mental health services for them.

Whatever you do, if you can, avoid WellSpan Philhaven at all costs. They don’t have nearly enough dr’s, so it can take six months to a year to even get in for your first appt. Then you can only book three follow-up appts at a time. Once you’ve had those appts and you go to schedule your next ones, the dr’s schedule has filled, and you have to wait another six to eight months to be seen again. This effectively bumps you off of your dr’s patient list, which means not only do you need to start all over from the beginning, but you also can’t get your meds filled w/out being seen. The whole place is a giant clusterfuck.

TW: un-aliving I was referred to them Oct 2018, when my fiancé decided to kill himself. I didn’t get my first appointment until sometime around April 2019. I think I had two rounds of appts before they couldn’t fit me into their schedule anymore. My father died last year, and they still haven’t gotten me an appt for that. I finally went and found a grief support group on my own.

They also don’t return phone calls or messages, and they are terrible about getting refills to the pharmacy on time (and these are for meds that you aren’t supposed to go off abruptly). I still see a nurse via telemed, but that’s just to check up on my meds and make sure I don’t have the urge to hurt myself or others. 🙄 I’ve never actually seen the dr who actually prescribes them for me.

I don’t think the office is actually malicious, so much as it is incompetent. They don’t seem to have adequate communication amongst themselves, and no two departments know what each other is doing. If you go anywhere else, take my advice and do that. If you must go to Philhaven, bear in mind what I’ve said.

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RedStar9117 t1_iwjokpa wrote

I'm going to look in Maryland for someone hopefully the waits will not be as crazy

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spoookytree t1_iwf8tsm wrote

Honestly with telehealth available, it may be just more helpful and worth it to try and find someone quicker that way

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scorpiogre t1_iwemh1u wrote

Have you tried to get it set up in Pennsylvania when you arrive? I mean from. California now call Pennsylvania and explain you'll be there xyz date and want to be already set.

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Riverrun221 OP t1_iweop8w wrote

I’m going to try

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Important_Kangaroo41 t1_iwk6l39 wrote

If you know where you will be living, ask your soon-to-be state representative or state senator for help. I’m glad to help you find out who that is if you’d like. Just send me a direct message.

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timg430008171976 t1_iwew82r wrote

I hear certain scripts a urgent care dr won’t write that you will have to be seen by a psych dr to get that’s a big issue in pa

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Riverrun221 OP t1_iwfi0d5 wrote

That’s really awful because if anything happens and I am without medication it is very bad. So in the past where I don’t have a doctor I just go to urgent care . Or emergency room

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myrealusername8675 t1_iwgth9v wrote

Tell your current health care providers about your move ASAP. They can help you figure out the transition. Include in that, as someone else said, talk to the PA medicaid people as well to see if there's anything you can do to get the process started before you move.

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Riverrun221 OP t1_iwhkpqz wrote

I told them, they are going to give me back up medication. But they can’t really do anything else

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spicynuggies t1_iwgi7fz wrote

I went to the emergency room and was able to get a referral and that sped up the process to about 1 month of waiting for me. I now have the psychiatry services I need.

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susinpgh t1_iweth0a wrote

Can you get a referral from your current caregiver?

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Riverrun221 OP t1_iwf2asc wrote

I don’t know how they would refer to another state

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susinpgh t1_iwgyjcp wrote

Couldn't hurt to ask! Maybe there's a related system.

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VeeTheBee86 t1_iwhulak wrote

Your PCP can generally write for most everything except some of the stimulant level CIIs. The only hard time getting in is the initial visit. There’s a lot of demand, and they have to spread our care. Once you’re in, they’re pretty good at keeping you regularly scheduled.

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Riverrun221 OP t1_iweboyn wrote

I would be in Allentown

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Dredly t1_iwekuee wrote

St Luke and Lehigh Valley are the 2 big chains there. Lots of services available... but I would suggest getting the ball rolling now

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Argolock t1_iwfvs2y wrote

This is the comment here. Get the ball rolling on all the paperwork. Insurance providers are a pain to deal with anywhere and PA is no exception.

Also Welcome to PA!

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Fit_Awareness6752 t1_iwgroij wrote

If you qualify for medicare/medicaid you'll be fine Lehigh Valley has some of the best health systems outside of philly

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dancingprotein t1_iwhu8y5 wrote

Insurance options will be solid. You will have insurance options like Aetna and UPMC - had Medicaid for a couple months (Aetna and in the Lehigh Valley) when not employed. Also area is known for healthcare but I’ve not needed to make use of them

Also PA compass is incredibly fast

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Laaazybonesss t1_iwfyow4 wrote

I thought once you were married your spouse cannot be on Medicaid, and they’d have to get on your insurance. Am I totally wrong? Are you still within household income limits to qualify?

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cheesepoltergeist t1_iwebnzv wrote

Second that services are difficult in rural areas. My mom is on MA and she has to drive over an hour for a dentist that accepts MA and they have a 14 month waitlist for appointments.

If you can get the services coverage is good though. Living in more populated areas you should be fine though, I have a cousin in Philly who never seems to have difficulty getting services, including MH.

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Aes_Should_Die t1_iwgpu1e wrote

Depends on how rural. The exurban areas have hospitals that are maybe not good enough to a maybe a planned major surgery, but are good for most else. But if you need some heavy duty healthcare I’d say Pittsburgh and probably Philly are your best bets. I’m sure the other major cities in the east and Erie are fine too as honestly there are hospitals in the rather small cities that can handle most things.

Also how well our coverage is? Only other state I have lived in is WV and I can say it’s much better than there. But idk how it compares against ÇA. We do use our federal assistance. So I guess that’s a plus.

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