Curt and Katie talk about antitrust laws – how they impact therapists, how to avoid concerns, and what to pay attention to when you’re a therapist.     It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age. In this episode we talk about: Sherman Antitrust Law Why antitrust laws are important Looking at insurance companies and the discrepancy that therapists are more held to antitrust than insurance companies for complicated reasons Therapy practices are businesses and in competition with each other Price Fixing and Market Share agreements The problem and risk with group boycotts The difference between colluding and discussing publicly available information How competition discussing fees in small Facebook groups can lead to price fixing The Cardigan Cartel How to communicate fees and discuss insurance issues without getting into antitrust issues Individuals on insurance panels are still competitors How Antitrust can be anti-consumer What the risks are for discussing pros and cons of different insurance panels How to avoid anti-trust problems Why you should talk to an attorney if you’re concerned How interstate commerce relates to antitrust and how Insurance Plans can play a game to get out of all of this The differences between employees who can strike and separate businesses banding together How Single-Payer relates to this topic How associations play into this and why they can survey their members on fees and other aspects of their businesses The difference between being responsible as a business owner and following the trends Sharing information, without making decisions and planning together How often therapists or other healthcare providers get in trouble for antitrust concerns, as well as related licenses Publicly available information is safe to discuss Share information, but don’t put a call to action to do something with your colleagues     Our Generous Sponsor: Thanks again to our sponsor, Ben Caldwell Labs! Ben Caldwell Labs offers MFTs a fully-online prep program for the California MFT Law and Ethics Exam that can have you ready for your test in as little as seven days. His program is clear, useful, and best of all, less than half the cost of competing programs. And if you purchase by March 31st, 2019 and use code MODERN at checkout, you'll get it at an even better price. Visit BenCaldwellLabs.com/California for complete details.   Relevant Episodes: In-Person Networking Modern Therapists Strike Back Resources mentioned: We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 CAMFT Article: Avoiding Antitrust Problems McCarren Ferguson Act Therapist Staffing Company and Two Owners Settle Charges that They Colluded on Rates Paid to Physical Therapists in Dallas/Fort Worth Area How Does Antitrust Apply to Psychologists? From APA CPH Insurance Antitrust Information Spotlight on Trade Organizations Association-Sponsored Market Research Program: Common pitfalls, antitrust risks, and opportunities What the Antitrust Exemption for Health Insurers Means California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists   Therapists in Private Practice Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapists Group Therapy Reimagined 2019: Sign up here to get notified when the details are released. Our CALL FOR SPEAKERS!!   Our consultation services: The Fifty-Minute Hour   Who we are: Curt Widhalm is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is a Board Member at Large for the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, a Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Adjunct Faculty at Pepperdine University, and a loving husband and father. He is 1/2 great person, 1/2 provocateur, and 1/2 geek, in that order. He dabbl