ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Using music as a form of therapy has been gaining recognition as a valid form of treatment for a range of conditions, including mental health issues. 

Many individuals have found that music therapy has a calming and relaxing effect that traditional talk therapy may not offer. Despite that, insurance companies in many states, including New York, do not cover the cost of music therapy sessions.

What You Need To Know

  • Music therapy is a valid form of treatment for a range of conditions, including mental health issues

  • It has gained recognition as a form of therapy that offers a sense of calm and relaxation that traditional talk therapy may not provide

  • Many insurance companies in states such as New York do not cover the cost of music therapy sessions, which can range from $60 to $150 out-of-pocket

  • Insurance coverage of licensed creative art therapists for mental health treatment has been excluded from recent mental health bills that have expanded access to care through telehealth

Megan Smith, a licensed creative art therapist and local advocate for music therapy, has been working to change this. She believes that licensed creative art therapists have been excluded from the recent mental health bills that have expanded access to care through telehealth. 

This exclusion means that individuals who require music therapy either have to be at an agency or facility where there is already a music therapist, or they have to pay out-of-pocket.

Smith believes that insurance plans work hard to assess the quality of outcomes for all kinds of medical procedures and are constantly in a mode of review to determine what is best for their members and insured patients. Therefore, it is essential to advocate for the inclusion of licensed creative art therapists in insurance coverage for mental health treatment.

Out-of-pocket costs for music therapy sessions can range from $60 to $150 depending on the therapist chosen. Recently, the New York State Assembly added the license of creative art therapists to their recommendations for the Health & Mental Hygiene Executive Bill. However, the bill must still pass through the Senate.

The budget for mental health treatment is set to be finalized soon and Smith is urging individuals to contact their Senate representatives to voice their support for the inclusion of licensed creative art therapists in insurance coverage for mental health treatment.