Photo by Dmitry Demidov
Full disclosure: for me, this is a personal as well as professional issue. In 2007, my son was the victim of a violent crime that left him paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator. He had graduated from college and was a working visual artist.
As most people can imagine, his injury was devastating.
Not only could he not move, he could no longer find a purpose in life. His art and his ability to create appeared to be taken from him, as well as his physical well-being.
He was fortunate enough to receive treatment at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital. Not only did the hospital ween him off the ventilator so he could breathe on his own, but it gave him some hope of some recovery.
As it is for many people who suffer catastrophic injuries or illnesses, the question for him was, what do I do as I work towards some level of recovery? For our son, the answer was the Art Therapy program at Magee. It taught him to create once again. He became a “mouth painter,” placing the paintbrush in his mouth with a specially designed device and using a head mouse to control a computer so he could create computer art.
Of course, it wasn’t the same, but it gave him a chance to create: A chance to be an artist again. As he often said, the act of creating can overcome physical limitations.
Over the years, I have watched many catastrophically injured people benefit from the art therapy program “Art Heals” at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital. The Honickman Family Foundation and others funded the program.
This year, State Rep Ben Waxman is trying to answer why Medicare, Medicaid, and Insurance Companies don’t pay for the sessions.
In a 2018 review of research papers studying the effectiveness of Art Therapy published in “Frontiers of Psychology,” the authors wrote: “Art Therapy is an excepted therapy that study after study has shown is effective. In the past, the effectiveness of art therapy was noticeable to those involved in the field but less to other professionals. Today, by contrast, there are impressive published findings in a variety of areas. These studies can help expand the contribution of art therapists in other areas and with other populations.”
So why is there difficulty in getting insurance to pay for the sessions?
Sadly, the answer seems to be “red tape” and a lack of governmental action. As State Rep Waxman’s staff wrote to me, “Art Therapy is covered by Medical Assistance in PA. However, not all art therapists may have the appropriate qualification to enroll in Medical Assistance… [as] the provider must be enrolled in Medical Assistance as a therapist. For art therapists, the Department of Health requires that to qualify, the provider must be certified by the Art Therapy Credential Board, which requires that providers meet different standards, depending on the level of qualification. It is unclear which degree of certification Medical Assistance requires to qualify as an enrolled provider.”
Until our elected officials cut the red tape, art therapy programs will depend upon private donations and fundraisers to offer help to those in need. Healing from a catastrophic injury should not rely on personal wealth or charity.
Health care in America, the wealthiest country in the world, should include covering the cost of therapies that help heal the body, the mind, and the soul.
If this is an issue you care about, perhaps a call to a state legislator you know may give Pennsylvania the motivation to cut the “red tape” and help those in need.
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