Rates
Private pay, and what it actually buys you
The rates page has the numbers. This one answers the question underneath them, which is what you are getting and what you are giving up.
Private pay is not a billing preference I adopted for convenience. It changes what happens in the room, what is written down about you, and who gets a say in how long we work. Those are worth understanding before you decide either way.
What Out of Network Actually Means
I am not contracted with any insurance company, so I am considered out of network by every plan. In practice that means you pay me directly at the time of the session, and there is no claim submitted on your behalf.
Many plans do carry out of network benefits, which is a separate part of your policy from the in network coverage most people think of. If yours does, you may be able to recover part of what you paid, after a deductible that is usually higher than the in network one. Some plans have no out of network mental health benefit at all. Yours is knowable in about ten minutes on the phone, and I would rather you make that call before you start than assume anything.
What a Superbill Is, and How the Money Actually Moves
A superbill is an itemized receipt. It lists the dates we met, the length and type of each session, the fee you paid, my license and practice details, and a diagnosis code, because insurers do not reimburse without one.
The sequence is straightforward. You pay me. I send you a superbill on request, usually monthly. You submit it to your insurer, generally through their app or member portal. They apply it to your out of network deductible. Once that deductible is met, they reimburse a percentage of what they consider a reasonable rate for the service, which is often lower than the rate actually charged, and they send that money to you rather than to me.
Two honest points about this. Whether you are reimbursed at all, and how much, depends entirely on your individual plan, and I cannot guarantee any payment. And a superbill carries a diagnosis, so if you use one, the exception described below no longer fully applies.
What Not Billing Insurance Protects
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01
No diagnosis is required in order to be seen. If you do not submit for reimbursement, nothing has to be pathologised for a claim to be paid
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02
No session limit set by someone who has never met you, and no periodic review deciding whether you have had enough
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03
No treatment plan filed with a third party, and no clinical notes requested by a reviewer as a condition of continued payment
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04
No permanent claims record attached to your name in a system you do not control
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05
No pressure toward the shortest defensible course of treatment
That last one matters more than it sounds. Insurance reimburses a standard fifty minute session and does not readily accommodate a four hour intensive. A practice built around insurance therefore builds itself around the hour, whatever the work needs. Not billing means the format can follow the work instead of the billing code.
Nobody outside this room decides when you are finished.
Who This Matters to Most
Women whose professional standing is tied to a license, and who would rather not have a diagnosis traveling through a claims system. Women in small communities or overlapping professional circles. Women who simply do not want the record to exist. Those are legitimate reasons and I do not treat them as avoidance.
Before You Decide, Call Your Insurer
Ask these four questions. Do I have out of network outpatient mental health benefits. What is my out of network deductible and how much of it have I met. What percentage of the allowed amount do you reimburse once it is met. How do I submit a superbill and how long does reimbursement take.
Ask the Money Questions on the Call
The consultation is free, and cost is a perfectly reasonable thing to spend it on.