I do not contract with any insurance companies and all clients are self-pay. I began my career in an insurance-based group private practice, had a period of time in my own private practice where I contracted with 2 insurance companies, and have operated as a fully self-pay practice for almost 6 years. Ultimately, my decisions around not contracting with insurance companies involves the combination of several factors:

1. Private pay therapists aren’t unwilling to take insurance. Insurance companies are unwilling to pay the cost of therapy.

Reimbursement rates in our area are significantly below the industry average. The energy and effort it takes to interact with insurance companies, especially as a solo provider are extreme. Insurance companies generally have hour-long hold times, poor customer service, and push back on why therapists are requesting more sessions with you, their client. All of these factors mean that taking insurance would require me to spend significantly more time on administrative tasks for which I am not reimbursed than providing quality care to my clients. 

2. You have to have a diagnosis based on a fully medical model of mental health care. 

Insurance companies require you to have a diagnosis in order for them to cover therapy. This means that we must provide a DSM-5 diagnosis and justify medical necessity for every visit. Not everyone who seeks mental health services meets criteria for a diagnosis. In some cases, having a diagnosis on your permanent medical record can also impact your future in regards to employment, life insurance, or legal cases. 

3. Insurance companies have the right to review your therapy records.

Your insurance company employs people (not all of them mental health clinicians) to conduct reviews in order to determine whether you’re using your insurance too much and to look for fraud. This process allows them access to your treatment records. This also means the insurance company may deny claims (often after a session has already occurred) either because they don’t believe it meets “medical necessity”, you’ve used more than the number of sessions they have determined are appropriate for a given diagnosis, or because our sessions were longer than what they are willing to reimburse. 

I believe you have the right to privacy and confidentiality even from your insurance company.

I believe that you deserve the autonomy to move through the therapeutic process at a pace that is appropriate for you.

 As I do not contract (“In Network”) with any insurance companies, I am considered “Out of Network”. This means that your insurance company may still reimburse you a percentage of what you spend when you use an Out of Network provider. If your policy has these benefits, I can provide you with a Superbill, or a specific receipt containing all of the information you would need to self-submit a claim with your insurance company. This process still requires you to receive a diagnosis. 

Most insurances do not cover evaluations, but may reimburse for some portions of the evaluation such as the first and last appointments.  

Family law services are not reimbursable by insurance. 

Questions to ask your Insurance Provider:

​1. What are my “out-of-network, outpatient, mental health benefits” when seeing a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist?

2. Do I need a referral from my primary care provider (PCP) to receive mental health services?

3. Do I have a deductible (amount you have to pay out of pocket before benefits kick in), coinsurance (a percentage you have to pay), or copay (typically a set fee per service type)?

4. Have I met my deductible this year? When does my deductible restart?

5. Does pre-authorization apply? (Meaning: does the insurance company have to approve the treatment prior to starting therapy?)

6. How do I file out-of-network claims?

Reduced rates are occasionally available depending on current case load, client need, and areas of specialization.

Please reach out directly to inquire about the availability of these spots before scheduling. 

You can use your HSA/FSA funds to pay for mental health services using pre-tax income. Comprehensive receipts for all charges are available at any time. These funds should not be used for cancellation or no-show fees and you are encouraged to keep a back-up non HSA/FSA card on file for these charges. 

Effective January 1, 2022 you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) explaining how much your medical care will cost. Vann Counseling & Consulting has always provided transparency in our billing practices by displaying our fee schedule online and as a part of our onboarding process for new clients. Please know that the Good Faith Estimate does not change any agreements you have already made with us with regard to self pay. Under the law, health care providers need to give clients who don’t have insurance or who are not using their insurance an estimate of the bill for medical services.

• You have the right to receive a GFE for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services.
• If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your GFE, then you can dispute the bill.
• Make sure to save a copy or picture of your GFE (a copy will be in your client portal for you to review)

For questions or more information about the GFE, go to www.cms.gov/nosurprise. or call 1-800-985-3059