I currently offer in-network (insurance) and out-of-network (out of pocket) coverage. I accept Aetna, Empire Blue Cross & Blue Shield, and Optom (United Healthcare, Oscar and Oxford). I do not work with any Medicare or New York State funded plans such as Medicaid or Child Health Plus.
There are benefits and drawbacks to utilizing insurance to pay for treatment. I am obligated to identify medical necessity for treatment when billing insurance. What this means is that you may have symptoms, life stressors and issues present that spurred you to engage in therapy, but if there is not significant impairment in functioning in specific areas of your life you may not meet medical necessity to bill insurance for treatment.
This can cause disruption in your treatment, as a positive change might lead to no longer meeting medical necessity. When paying out of pocket fees you will have the autonomy to decide what type of therapy (frequency, time spent in session, duration of treatment, etc) that you feel you need or want.
Your out-of-pocket cost per session will vary depending on your unique insurance plan. Most plans do not cover 55-60 minute sessions. The number of sessions approved by insurance will vary depending on your unique insurance plan as well. Please note that deductible or co-payment for services rendered will be processed through Alma. Please be sure to keep your card information in Alma current and up-to-date to avoid issues with processing payment. You are responsible for payment of your deductible or co-payment immediately following completed sessions. Insurance plans will not pay for late cancel or missed appointment fees.
I encourage you to thoughtfully consider private pay options if confidentiality is a major concern for you. I am obligated to ensure I am billing insurance appropriately, they require a diagnosis code to be submitted along with the proper billing code for treatment rendered. What this means is that your insurance company will have record of any mental health diagnosis, frequency, and duration of therapy.
Therapy is an investment in you. Unchecked, unmanaged, poor mental health can lead to physical health issues and unhealthy relationships. Prioritizing mental health is more important than ever. I firmly believe that it is beneficial to look at therapy as an investment and not an expense.
Below are my current out-of-network/out of pocket costs.
$150 – Intake Session (75 min – 90 min)
$125 – 55-60 min
$100 – 45 min
Late cancellation is subject to a $65 fee. A late cancel is considered an cancellation with 48 hour or less notice. A missed appointment is subject to a full fee charge.
You can pay using all major credit/debit cards, HSA, flex spending accounts. Session fee will be collected once session is completed or at time of late cancellation/no-show. Fees are processed using a confidential, HIPPA compliant program (IntakeQ – Square).