Considerations if you have insurance

If you have insurance or a student health plan through your school, find out what they cover and how in advance. You will need to know what steps you need to take to get authorized for reimbursement or coverage of some or all of the fees, if there are any restrictions on the selection of a therapist, what types of therapy are covered, what your co-pay will be and if there are any limits on the number of sessions per year that are covered. Sometimes they will pay for a portion of the fee if you choose someone outside of their network.

Find out if you will need a diagnosis that may go on your record, or a referral from your primary doctor to qualify for benefits for therapy. Who has access to this information on your record and how do they gain access? Some therapists accept insurance so you are only responsible for paying them your co-pay each week or month. Others will ask you to pay their full fee out of pocket and will provide you with a receipt that you can send to the insurance company for reimbursement, which means you’ll need to front the money until the insurance pays you back which may take some time.

Here are some questions that may be useful to clarify with your insurance over the phone or their chat or messaging system.

1. Does my plan cover "out of network outpatient individual psychotherapy"?

2. How many sessions per year are covered?

3. What percentage of each session cost is covered?

4. Is there a deductible I need to pay before coverage can be used? If so, how much?

5. What diagnosis are covered?

6. What is the process and paperwork for submitting superbills (invoices) for reimbursement? Can I submit these online?

7. How long does the process take for me to actually receive my reimbursements?