How To Easily Use Your Out-of-Network Benefits for Therapy

Finding a therapist can be a stressful process and taking this first step is huge! Therapy is an investment in your wellness and you deserve to work with someone you feel comfortable and safe with. You may find a therapist who you feel excited about working with only to find out that they aren’t in-network. It can be super frustrating when you find a therapist who you feel is a good fit but then worry about how you will afford it. Most people don’t know that they might have out-of-network benefits that they can access to pay for a portion of therapy services.

Other reasons you might want to choose an out-of-network provider include:

• Availability
• Specialization that meets your needs
• Privacy concerns (an in-network therapist may be required to provide more of your private information to the insurance company)

In-Network vs. Out-of-Network

In network providers are credentialed with your specific insurance plan and can bill the insurance company to cover the cost of services. Typically, with these providers you would pay your copay up front, and then the therapist will bill the insurance company for the remaining amount. Or sometimes you have a deductible that effects the portion that you owe. 

Out-of-network providers do not work directly with your insurance company. Your therapist bills you directly for services and you are responsible for the full amount. 

BUT – most people don’t realize that they have out-of-network benefits through their insurance company too. Depending on your plan, your out-of-network benefits could cover up to 80% of the cost of your sessions. This could bring the cost down dramatically and bring it way closer to the cost of your regular copay for in-network providers. You would still pay for therapy out of pocket, but the insurance company would reimburse you a portion of the fee. 

One option for getting started with using your out-of-network benefits is to contact your insurance company to clarify your benefits. Then, your therapist can provide you with a special bill at the end of each month which you would provide to your insurance company and ask them to reimburse you.

We realize that your time is valuable and often limited and dealing with insurance can be a hassle, so we have partnered with Mentaya, a platform that gets you money back on your sessions by submitting out-of-network claims on your behalf.  

Mentaya can also help you verify your benefits, so you don’t waste your time sitting on hold with your insurance company. You can use the link below to sign up and see what you can expect to get reimbursed. 

Mentaya will handle everything with insurance to make sure you get your money back (if you have coverage). They charge a 5% fee per claim and have helped people get thousands of dollars back per year. Our hope is that this will make using your out-of-network benefits as easy and stress free as possible.

You can sign up here: Mentaya

Note:  Mentaya’s goal is to save you time and money. It’s completely optional, and as your therapist I do not benefit in any way from your participation.