3 Key Tips for navigating your mental health insurance benefits

Know what your deductible is. When you log into your member benefits website, look for "deductible". This is the amount that you are expected to pay out of pocket for care that may not be routine. Often the deductible is waived for mental health (also called behavioral health). When in doubt, call the member number on the back of your card and ask if your deductible applies to mental health (meaning you can start counseling services without having to first satisfy a $6000 deductible, e.g.).

FInd out what your copay is. That is the amount you would pay before or after each counseling session while your insurance company pays the rest. Copays can range from $0-$20 or more depending on your plan). Again, when in doubt, call the member number on the back of your card. Your insurance company considers you their member so you are part of the benefit plan family and have more rigths than your provider/counselor does.
Look for what your co-insurance is on your benefits page. This is often not a flat rate number. It is the percentage of the session cost that you will share with your insurance company. For example, you might pay 20% of the session rate of say $160 and the insurance pays the other %80. So your co-insurance (your part of the bill) would be $32 per session and your insurance would pay to the provider the remaining $128. You will not usually have both a copay and coinsure. Again, if this is confusing, you are unsure and want to prevent surprises later, call the number on the back of your insurance card.

**I hope this was helpful. If you are looking to start services with me, I, with the support of my billing team, will support you in understanding your deductible, coapy, and coinsurance as well. We can also contact your insurance company together.

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