VIDEO: Help! I’m Afraid Of Flying!

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Recently I was offered a helicopter ride out of Manhattan in conjunction with an article I’m writing. While most reporters would jump at the opportunity to get out of the office, and into the air, my crippling fear of flying (claustrophobia, panic attacks, the whole bag of salted peanuts) is likely to keep me grounded.

That got me wondering: How can I overcome my fear of flying? To learn more, I went to talk with Dr. Martin Seif, a psychologist in Manhattan and Greenwich, Conn., who runs a "Freedom to Fly" workshop. Taught over six sessions at the Westchester County Airport here in New York, he and a pilot teach a phobic like me to ask every question we have about airplanes, flying, and turbulence. The classes culminate in a graduation flight to Boston.

Here’s the catch: The anxiety workshops cost $980. Dr. Seif said the hospital offering the classes is likely to take most health care plans. When I checked with own policy to see if the workshops were covered, a rep from Oxford Health Plans said a diagnosis of anxiety is considered a non-biologically based illness (as opposed to bipolar disorder) and should be covered under my mental health benefits. If I can get coverage, I’ll only have to give a $25 co-pay per visit (per class). Maybe investing in phobia management can be cheap after all.

Watch MainStreet’s video to find out more about aviaphobia and what you and your health insurance can do about it.