INSURANCE OR NO INSURANCE? .... THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION!
Many clients have concerns about using their health insurance for mental health counseling.
These concerns are legitimate on many levels, including:
Filing health insurance claims requires assigning the client a diagnosis code.
These diagnosis codes can have repercussions. You may have concerns about a diagnosis in your child’s permanent medical record. Some diagnoses restrict the ability to join certain branches of the military. Your concerns are legitimate. Similarly, certain diagnoses can make it more difficult to obtain long-term disability or other individual insurance plans.
Some health insurance plan's mental health benefits only cover "serious mental illness," and not routine or proactive psychotherapy or counseling.
Another consideration is that some policies dictate how many sessions you may have, and even how many minutes you may meet with your therapist in a session (that is -- how many minutes they will pay for). The decision made by the insurance company may not line up with your therapist's clinical judgment, or the treatment plan agreed upon between you and your mental health provider.
Insurance never covers educational evaluations. These are not considered to be a part of medical care, so are not covered by
your health insurance policy.
CHECK YOUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH BENEFITS ON YOUR PARTICULAR INSURANCE PLAN SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE A CAREFUL,
INFORMED DECISION.
IMPORTANT!
The responsibility to check benefits belongs to the client. There is a phone number or website address on the back of your insurance card you may call to inquire about your coverage, whether or not you need pre-authorization for mental health services, whether there is an annual limit on number of visits, whether you have an annual deductible (which may be separate from your medical coverage) to meet, and what your co-payment requirement is. It is important for you to check to see what your coverage is with your particular plan.
See the Forms tab for details on insurance, new patient forms, and more.
Many clients have concerns about using their health insurance for mental health counseling.
These concerns are legitimate on many levels, including:
Filing health insurance claims requires assigning the client a diagnosis code.
These diagnosis codes can have repercussions. You may have concerns about a diagnosis in your child’s permanent medical record. Some diagnoses restrict the ability to join certain branches of the military. Your concerns are legitimate. Similarly, certain diagnoses can make it more difficult to obtain long-term disability or other individual insurance plans.
Some health insurance plan's mental health benefits only cover "serious mental illness," and not routine or proactive psychotherapy or counseling.
Another consideration is that some policies dictate how many sessions you may have, and even how many minutes you may meet with your therapist in a session (that is -- how many minutes they will pay for). The decision made by the insurance company may not line up with your therapist's clinical judgment, or the treatment plan agreed upon between you and your mental health provider.
Insurance never covers educational evaluations. These are not considered to be a part of medical care, so are not covered by
your health insurance policy.
CHECK YOUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH BENEFITS ON YOUR PARTICULAR INSURANCE PLAN SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE A CAREFUL,
INFORMED DECISION.
IMPORTANT!
The responsibility to check benefits belongs to the client. There is a phone number or website address on the back of your insurance card you may call to inquire about your coverage, whether or not you need pre-authorization for mental health services, whether there is an annual limit on number of visits, whether you have an annual deductible (which may be separate from your medical coverage) to meet, and what your co-payment requirement is. It is important for you to check to see what your coverage is with your particular plan.
See the Forms tab for details on insurance, new patient forms, and more.