Insurance

If you have other insurance coverage please understand that I do not work with your insurance. This means:

  • I do not have an agreement with your insurance company
  • I cannot bill your insurance on your behalf
  • You will need to pay out-of-pocket at the beginning of each session

You may be able to get fully or partially reimbursed by your insurance by submitting a superbill to your insurance company. I’m happy to assist in your reimbursement, but there are some limitations:

  • You will need to tell me at the start of our work together that you will need a superbill; I will not provide superbills retroactively.
  • I will not submit superbills to your insurance on your behalf
  • I will not submit records to your insurance on your behalf
  • I will not communicate directly with your insurance
  • I cannot guarantee reimbursement for a few reasons:
    • I’m not contracted with your insurance and do not know their requirements for reimbursement
    • My documentation may not meet their standards
    • Therapy may not be covered under your plan
    • The reasons you are seeking therapy may not be covered by your plan

Other important things to consider before filing your superbill for reimbursement:

  • Superbills require a mental health diagnosis, this means:
    • Your insurance will know and store this information about you
    • It can negatively impact you in the future in unforeseen ways
  • By submitting a superbill, your insurance now has an interest in our work together. This means:
    • They may request to see treatment records at anytime during or after our work together
      • If you deny their request, they may deny reimbursement and/or ask for you to pay back prior reimbursements
      • If you provide your records to them, they will see and store these sensitive documents about your condition and our work together
    • They may deny reimbursement or even ask for you to pay back prior reimbursements if:
      • Documentation does not meet their standards
      • They do not agree with the frequency of sessions or reasons you are seeking therapy
      • You file superbills late
  • Your diagnosis may change during our work together; this will influence your reimbursement
  • If insurance reimburses one superbill, it does not guarantee future reimbursement
  • Insurance does not reimburse for late fees. A superbill will not be provided for late fees

Some recommendations:

  • Check with your insurance prior to starting therapy to better understand what will and what won’t be reimbursed. Here may be some helpful questions to ask your insurance:
    • What percentage is reimbursed for an out-of-network master’s level, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist?
    • What’s my deductible and has it been met?
    • Is there a maximum fee that is allowed per session?
    • How many sessions are allowed each calendar year?
    • Is there a maximum number of sessions that are allowed?
  • Never pay more than you can afford as reimbursement is never guaranteed
  • If you decide to submit a superbill, it’s best to submit them regularly so if there are any claim denials, you will know sooner and can better understand your out-of-pocket costs
  • Think about how you would feel knowing insurance is seeing your diagnosis and the fact they may see your treatment records about our work together
  • Using insurance is inviting an invisible third-party into our work together. It can impact how you engage in therapy: how often you come, what you say in session knowing records may be requested, and in many other ways
  • Please talk with me about any concerns you may have about insurance and our work together