I am only in network with some insurance companies, but out of network with others. Does this mean you are going to pay the full fee of $210 per session? Not necessarily.
PPO plans and Out-Of-Network Benefits
Some types of insurance offer some coverage for out-of-network providers. Check with your insurance provider to see if you have this kind of benefit. Usually it will be a percentage, rather than a copay. If you have this benefit, you will pay the full fee at the time of the session, and I can then provide you with a “super bill” to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
Health Spending Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
Employers often have an option to put some of your income, pre-tax, into an account you can use for healthcare expenses. While this doesn’t reduce the cost of therapy, it does give you more of your income to spend on therapy, since less is going to taxes. Usually this is put into a debit card that we can charge at the time of your session. Ask your HR representative at work about this option.
Sliding Scale Pricing
I have some limited spots available for clients who cannot pay the full fee. If you would like to discuss the option to pay a discounted fee, please get in touch.
The Benefits of Not Using Insurance
You may not be aware of the challenges that come with using insurance. Insurance requires that the therapist indicate a mental health diagnosis beginning at the first session. Because of this, sometimes a label is applied that may be rushed and inaccurate, but will now be part of your permanent medical record. Not everyone who can benefit from psychotherapy has a diagnosable mental health condition, either.
Insurance providers also have the ability to access the records that a therapist keeps about you, if there is a dispute or if the therapist is randomly audited. Records include extensive notes and treatment plans. Even if your records are not audited, therapists are still often required to provide repeated proof of “medical necessity” to the insurance company.
Private pay (paying out of pocket) can be beneficial to you, in that it maintains your confidentiality around all of the deeply personal information you share in sessions. Other than as required by law or by court order, I will not share information about you – including the fact that you are in therapy at all – with anyone outside my practice (myself and those who work for/with me and who are also bound by the same HIPAA laws), unless you explicitly give me permission to do so by signing a release of information.
There is a tremendous sense of safety that comes with this level of confidentiality.