Insurance & Billing

Why do people Self-Pay if they have insurance?

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There are a variety of reasons people choose not to work directly with insurance companies. One of the main reasons clients prefer to pay out-of-pocket instead of using their insurance is that paying out-of-pocket allows the therapist to give you the best possible care. Our highest priority is to serve you with the best possible care.

Many people do not realize that when you use your insurance, there is another person in the room – your insurance company. In order to use your benefits, your therapist has to disclose, with your consent, your personal information in order to verify your eligibility, pre-authorize services, and process claims to obtain payment.

This includes such things as:
-the nature of your issues for counseling
-psychiatric diagnosis
-your treatment plan
-how long you will have the problem

If we submit a bill to the insurance companies on your behalf, your confidential information is processed by the insurance company and then stored in a database. Anyone who is involved in the processing or handling of your claim may have access to your records, and anyone who has a legitimate reason to access the medical database, such as insurance companies and future employers, can view your confidential records.

So what does this mean?

Your therapist would need to label you, or one of you. For couples and family therapy, one person must be given a mental health diagnosis to utilize benefits, and the other partner or family members are brought in to support the “mentally ill” client.

At times, clients simply need to check in with someone to get a new perspective, learn some new skills, or explore some different strategies to try at home or work. Others want to work on their relationship with their partner or on being a better parent. These things, including marriage and couples counseling, are not typically covered by insurance unless you are given a mental health diagnosis.

Although receiving a diagnosis when appropriate can be extremely beneficial, it does come with its fair share of unfortunate consequences, such as compromising your ability to obtain some government jobs, and possibly life, health, disability, or long-term care insurance. Once you have received a diagnosis, the stigma associated with it can follow you for the rest of your life. The advantage of self-pay for therapy is that your information is not released to the Medical Information Bureau, so even if you do receive a diagnosis, it is kept confidential between you and your therapist and shared only with whom you choose to share it, within the laws of confidentiality.

We want you to be actively involved in determining what your goals are, how we will work together, and when we are finished. With insurance, many of your choices and treatment options are limited, as they determine what is “medically necessary” and what is the most efficient treatment. However, it is always a personal choice whether or not to use your health insurance to pay for therapy. For some, using insurance benefits is the best and most affordable choice, and others will find they like the freedom that paying out-of-pocket gives them in their journey towards mental wellness.

Our Rates​​

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• $240/55-Minute Intake/Initial Evaluation

• $220/55-Minute Family/Couple Session

• $200/55-Minute Individual Session

• $180/45-Minute Individual Session

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Payment

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• We accept cash, check, HSA, FSA, and all major credit cards as forms of payment (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover).