Rates (Music Therapy, Counseling, & Coaching)
Rates are discussed during consultation.
We are an Out-of-Network (OON) provider.
*We Do Not Accept Insurance!
Benefits You Receive By Us Not Accepting Insurance:
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Confidentiality
Everyone knows that what happens in therapy stays in therapy. Your therapist must keep everything you say confidential no matter what, right? Wrong! When you use insurance to pay for therapy, your therapist must provide your diagnosis and treatment notes to your insurance company to get paid. This undermines the basic premise of therapy and gives many more people access to your private health information. If this is news to you, you’re not alone. It’s all written into the HIPAA document you get when you start therapy (or go to any doctor’s office), but most people don’t read all the fine print.
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You Maintain Control Of Your Treatment, Not Your Insurance Company
Even if you’re okay with your information being shared with your insurance company from a confidentiality standpoint, you probably didn’t realize that sharing this information can have unintended consequences in the future.
As mentioned above, your therapist has to provide your insurance company with your diagnosis to get paid. But what if you don’t have a mental illness? After all, many people seek therapy for personal growth and exploration, not because they are depressed or anxious or have a serious mental illness.
In the eyes of your insurance company, these are not valid reasons for seeking therapy on their dime. If you don’t have an actual diagnosis, they aren’t interested in paying for your sessions and will not continue to authorize future sessions.
This puts your therapist in an awkward and ethically challenging position if you don’t meet the criteria for a mental illness. He or she is left with choosing between 3 options.
- Assign a diagnosis you don’t meet the criteria for so that your insurance company will continue authorizing sessions.
- Discontinue therapy.
- Continue to work with you without assigning a diagnosis but risk having claims denied and not getting paid for the work.
At this point, you are probably starting to understand why so many therapists don’t accept insurance.
Maybe you meet the criteria for a diagnosis, maybe you don’t. Either way, you now have a diagnosis on record with your insurance company. When it comes time to renew your insurance or switch plans, your premiums could rise due to your “pre-existing condition.” In addition, you may be required to share your diagnosis in future job interviews, which is awkward, to say the least. We want to add that it’s rare to disclose something like that for a job, but it can happen in security, government, and some other professions.
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Collaborative Driven Treatment Plan Vs. Insurance-Driven Treatment Plan
When therapists take insurance, they are required to use treatment methods that are covered by your plan. This means they have less say in how to treat you based on your specific and individual needs. Ironically, those who work in your insurance company and decide which therapy methods can be used are usually not even therapists! And they certainly haven’t met and assessed you personally as your therapist has.
Before Beginning Therapy, Call Your Insurance Carrier Directly.
Here’s what to ask when you call:
1) Do I have out-of-network benefits for individual therapy/couples-family therapy/music therapy?
2) If yes, what is my out-of-network deductible?
3) Is this deductible combined with my in-network deductible, or is it separate?
4) How much of this deductible has been satisfied so far?
5) What is my co-insurance once my deductible has been satisfied? (This is usually a percentage)
6) What is my out-of-pocket maximum? How much has been met this year?
7) Do I have any special mental health network or require any special authorizations?
8) What is the process for reimbursement, and how long do I have to submit claims?
Payment
We accept cash, ACH (all major credit cards as forms of payment), and cards associated with using your flex or healthcare savings account (HSA, FSA).
Payments are due before your session.
Cancellation Policy
If you cannot attend a session, please cancel at least 48 hours beforehand. Otherwise, you will be charged for the full rate of the session plus a $40 late fee.
Any Other Questions
Don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule a session and for any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!
We have partnered with Reimbursify for you to easily submit your claims for out-of-network health insurance reimbursement.
Download the app and get your first five claims for this practice free: