BENEFITS OF PRIVATE PAY

 

My counseling services are offered as private pay. This simply means that I am not a participating provider on any insurance panels and you will pay out-of-pocket for my services. 

 

I am frequently asked why do I choose to be private pay rather than accept insurance and my answer is that there are often more benefits for you, my client, by choosing private pay than by accepting third party payers.

 

Here are many of the benefits of private pay:

 

• Experience:  Insurance panels are generally comprised of less experienced providers who are in the process of developing their practices and their skill. The majority of insurance plans do not pay highly experienced therapists any more than those just beginning their career, thus the simple reality of business is that you tend to get what you pay for.

 

• Privacy:  Insurance companies have numerous people examining your files at various stages: people who authorize payment, track your progress, audit psychotherapy practices, input data, print bills, and so on. By not involving your insurance company your private personal information stays in my office. I'm the only person who has access to it except under specific circumstances which are outlined in my Office Policies and discussed in our first session. 

 

• Choose your own therapist:  Insurance companies generally have a list of preferred providers that consumers choose from. You may not like the choices you have, or the therapist you want to see may not be included in this list. By paying out-of-pocket you have a much larger selection of therapists to choose from, so you are able to find the best therapist for you.

 

• Control of your therapy:  When using insurance, they are the ones who determine the number of sessions and the type of therapy they will pay for and can arbitrarily stop paying for sessions for any number of reasons. By choosing private pay, we are able to determine what will be most effective for you and your specific therapeutic goals, not a corporation.

 

• Your Future:  In order for your insurance company to pay for services, they require you to receive a psychiatric diagnosis for why you are in therapy (i.e. major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, bi-polar disorder, etc.) and any further personal information they need in order to verify your eligibility, pre-authorize services, and process claims to obtain payment. Oftentimes your therapist is required to inform your insurance company of such things as the nature of your issues for counseling, and your treatment plan.  Furthermore, if you wish to obtain private health or life insurance in the future, this information is open to review and can result in you and your family being denied coverage. Paying privately avoids this risk.

 

The value of private-pay services is simply that it provides the client with more personalized care, offers true privacy and generally is more effective because there are no predetermined limits that can interfere with the therapeutic process. 

 

However, it will always be your decision whether or not to use your health insurance to pay for therapy. For many, using insurance benefits is the best choice and others will find they like the freedom and privacy that paying out-of-pocket affords them. 

 

Should you choose to file claims with your health insurance company, I will provide you with all the information needed for you to file your claim or I have also now partnered with Mentaya who will file your Out-of-Network claims for you for a 5% fee per claim. I have more information on how Mentaya works on my Hours & Fees page.