If you'd like to use your health insurance to pay for mental health counseling with me, here are a few things to consider.
In order for an insurance company to reimburse for psychotherapy, they must deem that the therapy is “medically necessary.” This means that if you use insurance you will have a diagnosis given to you (ex. Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, etc.) This will happen any time you use your insurance benefits to pay for mental health care, whether with me or any other provider.
For many people, having a mental health diagnosis in their health record is not a concern or the benefit of using insurance outweighs that concern. Other people prefer to not have a diagnosis and pay for therapy without using insurance. From my own perspective, diagnosing mental health conditions is helpful insofar as it helps guide treatment and for some people being able to name the set of symptoms they're experiencing can be clarifying-- much as with a physical condition.
If you do choose to use health insurance to help with the cost of your sessions here are some questions to ask your insurance company when checking on your mental health counseling benefits:
- Do I have mental health insurance benefits?
- What is the amount of my deductible, and has it been met?
- How many sessions per year does my health insurance cover?
- Can I use an out-of-network provider?
- What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
- Do I have a copay or coinsurance amount that I'm responsible for?
- Is approval required from my primary care physician?
My provider info:
Name: Jennifer Jacyszyn, LMHC
License: WA LH60797895
NPI #: 1831565480
Please feel free to ask me in person if you have any other questions about using insurance for counseling.