Why Private Pay?

8 Reasons to Consider Private Pay Therapy

1. In order to use insurance, the client (you or your loved one) has to have a “diagnosis” when the claim is submitted to insurance.

2. Mental health diagnoses may stay in your medical history for an indefinite amount of time.

3. Insurance companies can set a limit on the number of therapy sessions they will reimburse for. They may also have limits on the length of time each session can last.

4. Teletherapy may not be not covered by all insurance plans. Most plans opted to cover this service during the COVID-19 pandemic, however this may change in the future, and your eligibility to receive covered services via teletherapy may change at any time.

5. Your insurance company gets to decide what types of treatment is considered “medically necessary.” This means that if you’re coming to therapy to address burnout at work, your insurance might refuse to cover the cost of sessions because “burnout” is not an official mental health diagnosis recognized by insurance companies.

6. You might have a deductible (and a high one, at that) that needs to be met before your insurance will cover the cost of sessions. If this is the case for you, this means you might be paying out of pocket for therapy until your entire deductible is paid for the year. 

7. If an insurance claim is denied, you are still responsible for the full fee of the services provided. Large, unexpected bills are an unwelcome surprise for most, especially for services that are often provided weeks beforehand. With private pay, you know the exact fee you’re paying, and you have the ability to take care of that at the time of service without worrying about a large bill showing up in your mailbox.

8. When you use insurance—including submitting a super bill for out of network reimbursement—your insurance company will have access to your entire record, if they request it. This means there is additional risk to your confidentiality and ability to maintain privacy around your medical records.