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You may be able to use “out of network benefits” if your insurance policy includes this type of benefit for mental health. If you choose to request reimbursement from your insurance company, I provide you with the necessary documentation, commonly referred to as a “superbill.” This is a medical billing receipt for services with an out-of-network provider. It will include a provider information, diagnosis, billing codes, amount paid, type, and date of service. Clients can choose to submit this documentation to their insurance company directly to request reimbursement. I can’t guarantee that you will be reimbursed for any portion of your treatment and all claim submissions are submitted by you. Please contact your insurance company and ask “what are my out-of-network benefits for outpatient mental health?” to find out exactly what will be covered.

This blog by Zencare describes the process for using out-of-network benefits beautifully!

I chose to stop working with insurance companies for a variety of reasons:

• First, insurance companies place limits on therapists’ decision-making power by capping the length of treatment, number of sessions, frequency of sessions, and length of individual appointments. I found that what I would recommend for my clients well-being did not always match up with what insurance would cover.

• Insurance companies require a diagnosis to be on file. Sometimes, my clients don’t fit the criteria for a diagnosis. They may be coming to me because they’re in the midst of a life transition, but not meet all the requirements for a full depression diagnosis, for example.

• Sometimes, after providers have been paid by insurance companies, they may take that money back. This introduces uncertainty into my own well-being and income.