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| A first step may be to see your doctor or go to a health clinic and talk about how you are feeling. They can usually make a referral for you to get an assessment by a professional to determine if treatment is something you need. |
| If you want to arrange for an assessment, the process may vary, depending on the type of health insurance you have, if any. But even if you do not have insurance, you can still get an assessment. |
| If you have health insurance or coverage through a managed care organization, call the customer service number on the back of your health insurance member card to find out which services and treatment providers are covered by your plan. |
| You can also contact your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for help in accessing treatment. Not all employers have Employee Assistance Programs; check with your benefits policy or your human resources department. Employee Assistance Programs are a good way to find out what your options are and how to contact the right people to get an assessment and treatment. |
| If you have health insurance paid for by Medical Assistance, GAMC or MinnesotaCare through the State of Minnesota's Pre-Paid Health Plans, you can find contact information for mental health service for the Twin Cities metropolitan area, on this Twin Cities form. If you live in Greater Minnesota, you can find it on the Greater Minnesota form. These forms provide referral, prior authorization guidelines, contacts for mental health and chemical dependency services for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare managed care enrollees. |
| If you do not have insurance, or your insurance does not cover the services you need, you can contact your county to get an assessment to see if you need mental health treatment. In Minnesota, the county is responsible for providing public mental health services. Counties contract with mental health providers to provide mental health treatment on a sliding fee scale. This means that if you use one of these county providers, the charges for treatment will be reduced based on your ability to pay. The suggested fee scale is based on family size and income. Some counties have information on-line. County web sites |
| If you do not have health insurance, you may be eligible for publicly funded mental health services. If you are interested in whether you are eligible for public insurance, you can check this brochure. If you think that you are eligible, you can complete an application. |
| If you are paying on your own, you can directly go to a provider for an assessment and/or treatment. To find a treatment provider located in your community, you can use the MinnesotaHelp.info web-site. The MinnesotaHelp.info web site was developed cooperatively by the Minnesota Board on Aging, the Department of Human Services, Greater Twin Cities United Way and First Call Minnesota. Beside giving access to the only up to date, comprehensive community resources data in Minnesota, the goal of MinnesotaHelp.info is to coordinate and implement a centralized internet entry point that contains information about services provided by both public and private entities throughout the state. |
| In Minnesota, the county is responsible for providing public mental health services. Counties contract with mental health providers to provide mental health treatment on a sliding fee scale. This means that if you use one of these county providers, the charges for treatment will be reduced based on your ability to pay. The suggested fee scale is based on family size and income. You may want to contact your county to see if you would be eligible for a reduced payment based on their sliding fee. Some counties have information on-line. County web sites |
| The Department of Human Services also certifies mental health centers and clinics for insurance purposes. The list of Mental Health Centers and Clinics (also known as Rule 29) shows all certified providers in the State of Minnesota, arranged by the county of service. The information includes the location as well as phone number. |
| If you are an American Indian, living either on or off the reservation, you have the same eligibility for mental health services as any other resident of your county. This means that you are eligible for: |
| • Mental health services paid for by Medical Assistance, GAMC or MinnesotaCare, if you are eligible for and enrolled in the program (See the Insurance Coverage section); |
| • County mental health services when these services are not covered by your insurance and you meet your county’s financial eligibility criteria. (See the No coverage or services not covered Section) |
| Just as counties are provided Federal and State dollars to provide mental health services, Tribal governments and a few American Indian organizations receive Federal Block Grant dollars to build infrastructure and provide mental health services. You may check with your Tribe or American Indian Urban entity to determine what mental health services are available for you and/or your family. However, this does not prevent tribal members from accessing mental health services provided by the State or their county of residence. |
| You can link to MinnesotaHelp.info (TM) web-site for information and referrals to providers that can help you. |
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