Fees and Health Insurance:
About my fees and insurance plan participation:
With the exception of Beacon Health and Concern EAP, I am an out-of-network provider and do not participate in any insurance company's specific network. Therefore, payments for services are collected directly at the end of each session. If you have a PPO insurance plan with a different insurance plan, you may have benefits that might cover my services as an out-of-network provider. I am able to provide you with a statement which may be submitted to your health plan for reimbursement. My fees are periodically adjusted but are consistent with the standard therapy rates in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, I have a limited number of available appointments with reduced fees based on a sliding-scale. Please contact me to discuss my current fees and appointment schedule.
Out-of-network therapy may also be covered if you have a Health Spending Account (HSA), a Flex Spending Account (FSA) or a Medical Savings Account (MSA). I recommend that you check with your insurance provider to see what your coverage will pay for an out-of-network therapist before starting therapy.
I maintain a strict policy requiring 24 hours notice to cancel an appointment. Without that notice, it is my policy to bill you directly (not your health plan), and you will be fully responsible for the cost of the entire missed appointment regardless of possible insurance coverage. Emergency cancellations are considered on a case by case basis.
Why you might choose not to use your insurance?
The decision to not use your insurance plan to pay for therapy should not be taken lightly. It means making a financial commitment that may seem difficult to justify. However, choosing not to use your insurance plan (paying me directly for your psychotherapy sessions), means that I work for you, and not for your insurance company as a member of an in-network panel of mental health practitioners bound by the insurance company’s session limitations or intrusive managed review and oversight process. It means that I am able to guarantee your confidentiality and privacy (except when disclosure is mandated for safety reasons by state or federal law). While your out-of-network benefit might not be as generous as using an in-network benefit, it allows you to choose the therapist you want based on expertise and the quality of the therapeutic relationship.
Things you should know about the use of insurance.
Because each health plan has a different set of protocols to follow, it is important that you let me know if you would like to use your insurance plan to pay for therapy fees when you first contact me to schedule an appointment. This will allow us to discuss important issues dealing with verification of coverage. It is important that you be aware that having insurance is not a guarantee that your sessions will be paid for by your plan. However, regardless of your coverage, all charges and fees are always billed to you and not your health plan; you are ultimately responsible for any billed services.
Be aware that using insurance to pay for services may involve certain conditions that you must be willing to accept.
1. Your health plan will only pay for sessions if I provide them with a mental health diagnosis. I cannot assign a diagnosis that is not true nor appropriate.
2. Diagnoses and personal information required by your health plan (as part of an insurance claim), may become part of your medical record.
3. Your health plan may place restrictions on the number of sessions available to you within a covered period.
4. Once we have released your personal information to your health plan, I have no control over who sees those records nor how this information is used. Consequently, I cannot be held liable for breaches of confidentiality that may occur after such release.