Paying for Therapy
Navigating OCD Treatment and Financing Options
This episode of 'Bossing Up: Overcoming OCD' features Erin, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and OCD Specialist, who partners with NoCD to raise awareness about OCD, specifically Relationship OCD. Erin discusses various financing options for mental health therapy, including insurance intricacies, the introduction of care credit, and an upcoming Exposure and Response Prevention Intensive Package. She also explores alternatives like private pay, health savings accounts, and Employee Assistance Programs. The episode concludes with a unique merchandise promotion – an OCD-themed coffee mug – and a teaser about a celebrity with OCD. The main focus is on making mental health care accessible and breaking down financial barriers to treatment.
00:00 Raising Awareness: Understanding OCD Beyond Stereotypes
00:29 Welcome Back: Navigating OCD with Expert Insights
00:57 Meet Erin: Your Guide to Overcoming OCD
01:21 Demystifying Insurance: Making Mental Health Care Accessible
01:53 Exploring Care Credit: A Financial Lifeline for Therapy
02:46 Introducing the Exposure and Response Prevention Intensive Package
03:43 The Importance of Prioritizing Mental Health
04:30 Understanding Insurance: Deductibles, Copays, and Coinsurance
10:11 Navigating Out-of-Network Providers and Reimbursement
13:59 Private Pay and Health Savings Accounts: Maximizing Your Options
16:24 Seeking Alternative Funding: EAPs and Family Support
19:12 Embracing Bravery: Overcoming OCD with Courage
19:41 Exclusive Merchandise: The Obsessive Coffee Drinker Mug
21:38 Closing Thoughts and Next Episode Teaser
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I hope you had a happy Easter and welcome back to another episode of Bossing Up! Overcoming OCD. In today's episode I'm going to be talking about all things OCD. Insurance and how to pay for mental health therapy, because I want you to know all the information that you can access and then all the tips and tricks so that you can get the care that you need.
Hi, I'm Erin, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and OCD Specialist. I'm also a Christian, wife, mom to three, and small business owner, helping those who are overwhelmed by stress to climb out of that valley and enjoy the view. Reheat your coffee and pop in your AirPods to learn how to boss up to OCD.
Alright, when we're talking about insurance, I'm sure it can feel daunting sometimes and it can be confusing because you're like, what's this deductible thing or what's this copay thing? Like, I just don't get it. I'm going to simplify all of these aspects for you and please feel free to follow up with me in your 15 minute free consult and we can speak further about the form of payment that's going to work best for your situation.
📍 And I'm excited to share that I am now accepting care credit. If you've ever been to the vet or had a big orthodontist bill, you may have encountered care credit and care credit is a deferred interest credit card to help you pay for the care that you need.
And the great thing about care credit is that I am offering packages where you can,
let's say, pay for a months worth of therapy sessions or two or three months worth of therapy sessions with deferred interest. So if you're looking at a high deductible with your insurance plan, at least a care credit can give you access to the care that you need right now. And other good news about care credit is that it's also accepted at pharmacies like Walgreens, Walmart, Sam's Club, and Rite Aid.
So you have that as an option in your disposal as well.
And when it comes to the CARE Credit Financing, you are more than welcome to use it for my up and coming Exposure and Response Prevention Intensive Package. Coming this fall in 2024, I'm going to be offering a package where you're going to have a 14 session intensive program 90 day timeframe. And That is intended because the average patient needs about 12 to 15 sessions in order to complete their OCD treatment.
And by starting in the fall, you will have completed 14 sessions before Christmas. And so most of us are looking to get better sooner rather than later. And by having this intensive package, you can accomplish that. You may accomplish that and you can use care credit to your advantage so that you can,
so then you can get started with the treatment that you need today. And overall, when we're thinking about the financial aspect of therapy, I want you to remember that the most important thing is your mental health. By having a better mental health, wellness, and overall well being, imagine what that would be like in the future.
As compared to like continuing to stay in the feelings that you're in or the situation that you're in and having the chronic stress. I think we've all recognized by now that chronic stress leads to a lot of medical problems and complications and so that's where prioritizing your mental health not only helps you in feeling happier but it also helps you in feeling physically.
Better. Okay. So let's talk about the insurance parts, like with a deductible. A deductible is something set by your insurance. So side note here, whenever you're shopping for health insurance, take into consideration what you're willing and able to pay for your healthcare needs. And again, you can use the care credit option.
Okay. Oh,
if you're using. Or if you're interested in using care credit, you can do an inquiry and see if you qualify. And that's only a soft pull on your credit. It doesn't do a hard pull on your credit until you accept and complete the application.
And for those care credit terms and conditions, you can find more on my website at value driven therapy. com slash fees. And to learn more about the packages, you can go to ValueDrivenTherapy. com slash packages. Okay. Now, in talking about the insurance, you want to consider what you're willing and able to pay for your healthcare.
And I would recommend, well, or you may want to consider looking at health care options that maybe have a small deductible, or if you have a large deductible, at least bring in a health savings account, or we call that an HSA. For short, and I'll explain more about that in detail in a moment. So with a deductible, that is the amount that you must pay out of pocket before your insurance will start to contribute or before your insurance will start to cover and pay for services.
So think about this as your financial responsibility before your insurance kicks in. So for example, let's say your health insurance plan has a deductible of 1, 000. You have to get enough medical expenses that reaches over 1, 000 before your insurance will start to pay. Once you've paid at least 1, 000 for covered mental health services, then your insurance will start to cover a portion of your medical expenses.
Or your medical cost, oh, gosh, I got a hair. Or your medical cost. Okay, and that may also depend if this is an in network deductible or an out of network deductible. Oftentimes, your insurance plan has both of those stipulations. An in network means that your provider is on the insurance panel with that insurance.
Out of network means that your provider does not Take quote unquote, take that insurance, but that doesn't mean that you still can't get covered for your medical expenses. Just like if you were to meet the out of network deductible for your plan. And as always, if you have questions about your health insurance coverage, I recommend calling the number on the back of your insurance card and asking what are your Obligations, or no, I'm sorry.
So you would call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask, what are my benefits for a mental health office visit? And you can ask for in network and out of network benefits. Okay, next, let's talk about a copay. Now a copay will come into play whenever you are visiting an in network provider because that in network provider has agreed to the terms of the contract with the health insurance company and so there's that mutual agreement there and the co pay is normally listed on the front of your insurance card if you're visiting an in network provider and that co pay is a fixed amount that you pay every time for a specific service and normally Well,
alright, so for example, let's say your co pay is 30 for every therapy session. So whenever you go and visit your therapist, you will pay 30 for that visit and your insur and your insurance will cover the remaining balance. That's agreed upon in the contract.
Okay, now moving on to coinsurance. This is different than the deductible and it's different than the copay. A coinsurance is when you pay a percentage of the cost of the services provided and again this is an agreed upon amount between. Your insurance plan, as well as the health provider and the insurance plan.
So let's say your coinsurance is 20%, alright, and the therapy session is 150. Your obligation is to pay 20 percent of that 150, which equals 100. 30. And then your insurance will cover the remaining 80 percent or whatever the agreed upon amount is.
Sometimes when you have a coinsurance, they'll say we, you have to pay 20 percent until you meet your deductible. And then we'll start covering at 100%. So again, the deductible may still come into play, even if you have a coinsurance. And this is a. And this is a high level overview of what you could expect, more or less, for in network insurance.
Now, at the time that I'm recording this episode, I am in network with Aetna Insurance.
And I am a Tricare certified provider, meaning that my services are recognized to be reimbursed by Tricare. So if you're a Tricare beneficiary, it works a little bit different. I'm not in network with Tricare and I do not participate with their fee schedule. So what that means is I am considered like an out of network provider with Tricare, yet you are able to get reimbursed for a portion of the services provided.
And so with out of network, that means that your healthcare provider is not contracted with the health insurance company. And so as an out of network provider,
I know someone working with an out of network provider, you can more than likely expect to pay the full fee. Yet again, there is an opportunity for you to get. potentially reimbursed by your insurance. Normally when you go see an out of network provider, they will give you a receipt or what's called the super bill.
And you can mail that in to your insurance to potentially get reimbursed. And at the very least have it applied towards your deductible. So in the event that you are eligible for reimbursement, that amount is already going towards The deductible and making
that amount is going towards your deductibles. Okay. Now as a courtesy to you, I offer what's called courtesy billing. So since I am out of network with most insurance plans, Instead of you sending in that super bill, I send in the claim for you. This saves you time, energy, and effort. And in the long run, it's less hassle for you and creates more convenience.
So with the courtesy billing, you are still expected to pay for the full fee you. of the session up front, and then once that session is paid in full, I will then send it in to your insurance so that you may potentially get reimbursed. And with the TRICARE beneficiaries, that has worked especially well, or not, I don't know.
If you are a TRICARE beneficiary, Please feel free to schedule your consult so I can talk to you more about
your potential of being reimbursed for therapy services.
Now, some of you may be wondering, like, why would I not just go to an in network provider and pay less for the services? Sure, you could do that, but are you finding someone who is the right fit for you? Are you finding that OCD specialist who has the training, expertise, and knowledge? to get you into that OCD remission.
And again, not all is lost whenever you are seeing an out of network provider.
When you see an out of network provider, you are opening the pool of options.
And you can find a therapist who maybe has openings on their caseload, right? Because oftentimes you may find, or you may run into the problem where, What are you doing?
Here, let me throw this over to you. There
you go.
Okay, and when you're only considering an in network provider, you may run into problems with, like, availability. They may not be taking any new patients right now, or they may not have the appointment time that works for you, or even the frequency that you need. And as an out of network provider, there is a lot more flexibility and typically a lot more openings.
Well, nah.
And even in visiting an out of network provider, you can still submit the information to your insurance. As another option, you can opt for private pay, because with private pay that doesn't require the therapist to give you a diagnosis, and also that means that you don't have to turn in that diagnosis to your health insurance.
A lot of times there are people who have security clearances and they're very concerned about having a mental health diagnosis in their medical records. That is understandable, and I will say I have worked with plenty of individuals who have a security clearance and are able to keep their security clearance because their mental health condition does not directly impact the work that they do, nor is it harming or impeding their work performance.
Now, of course, every situation is different and you can talk to your security clearance personnel about your ability to access mental health support or other supports that can help you in your mental health journey, but private pay is a great way to go if you're looking for more privacy. Because the other thing that health insurance tends to do is they want to request your records and they Especially within network insurance, they can request these things and that can create
A feeling like an intrusion of privacy for you as well as your work with the clinician.
Now let's talk about that health savings account. With a health savings account, it's like a debit or credit card that you can use for healthcare expenses and certain things qualify for healthcare expenses like if you're getting over the counter. Pain medication or if you're getting sunscreen, even
these are the benefit of having a health savings account is these are pre tax dollars. So it comes directly out of your paycheck or you pay for it. They come directly out of your paycheck before your taxes are withheld, therefore this reduces your taxable income. So this is another great way to maximize your health care benefits and get the care that you need.
And therapy sessions do qualify as free. qualified medical expenses.
When you use your HSA card, it's important to keep your receipts in case your HSA bank account needs to validate the purchase or view the receipt in order to give you additional reimbursement.
Okay, if you're still searching for other ways to cover therapy expenses, or looking for alternative options, you may want to check with your human resources department, as oftentimes corporations and businesses offer what's called an Employee Assistance Program, or EAP. And this is where your company pays for a limited number of sessions at a, for a limited number of sessions with a therapist.
And normally these sessions are going to be geared around your work performance or maybe like stress at the workplace, for example, because your employer is invested in you and they want you back at work or performing at your highest ability. And so the EAP sessions are mostly going to be focused on your,
on your job wellness. And typically this comes at no additional expense to you. But again, those sessions might be limited to say maybe three appointments. And again, as I said earlier, most clients need between 12 to 15 sessions in order to reach their goals. All
right, other options, let's say push come to shove and none of these options meet your needs or match where you are financially at this time. And let's say you don't qualify for care credit for whatever reason. You may want to consider asking one of your family members to help cover your therapy expenses until you're able to reimburse them.
That is an option where you can have another family member be the financial The financially responsible party for your therapy visits. We can do that.
You may find a therapist out there who offers sliding scale fees, which means they will calculate how much you can afford or they have negotiated a fee with you And it's essentially like reaching a compromise.
There may also be community mental health centers in your area where you can find possibly interns or residents, students, associate level therapists who have reduced fees for their therapy services.
And ultimately at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you in helping you reach the goals and the dreams that you're hoping to achieve. Okay.
It's there. Almost there.
Because your wellness is not all about the money. It's not all about the health insurance coverage. It's really about you feeling like you have your life back. And OCD tends to hold a lot of people back because either they're ashamed or embarrassed to talk about the things that they're going through, or they already like recognize that their thoughts are irrational and they feel.
uncomfortable in talking about them out loud. And then even to OCD wants you to feel like everything has to be quote unquote, just right before you move forward. And I'm here to tell you like your therapist is going to be by your side and you can walk away. Work through this or this uncertainty because OCD wants you to continue to live in fear, but you're not gonna let it be your master anymore.
And so sometimes we have to step out in courage, step out in bravery. And bravery is about. Doing things even when we're scared. And so I get it. You may be feeling scared, lonely, and vulnerable because of your OCD thoughts. Remember that you're not alone. There are ways to get the care that you need. And I encourage you to seek out OCD.
and schedule your free consultation today.
Okay. And as a fun way to end the episode, I want to show you a coffee mug that I have designed and launched and I'm selling on my website. And if you're listening to the podcast, it's a white coffee mug with a blue handle and a blue interior. Check it out. dishwasher safe by the way and microwave safe and on the outside it says OCD obsessive coffee drinker and I'm calling it whether you get this dishwasher safe large coffee mug
and I'm calling it whether you give this as a gift to someone or you Buy this for yourself and have some caffeine fueled satisfaction in your kitchen. In my book, there's nothing not to love about a perfect brew of coffee, especially in a vibrant blue mug,
which is exactly why I made it for coffee lovers like you. Forget about the boring, bland, white mugs at Walmart, and prep for a little something in your kitchen cabinet for the coffee connoisseurs. for the coffee connoisseur, for the coffee connoisseur obsessed someone in your life. All right, thank you for listening to today's episode, and if you have any more questions about insurance, coverage or how to pay for the packages and the ERP intensives that I have coming out in the fall, please feel free to go on my website at valuedriventherapy.
com, schedule your consult, and I look forward to hearing from you.
For the mug, you can go to my website at valuedriventherapy. com slash shop and buy yours today.
Okay, and come back next week to hear about a celebrity who has OCD. I want to see if you can guess who I'm going to be talking about first.
Thank you for listening to another episode of Bossing Up Overcoming OCD. 📍 📍 This information is intended to be helpful and not a substitute for professional counseling. If you're struggling with any mental health challenges, I encourage you to seek help from a qualified therapist or health care professional.
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You're not alone in your journey. Stay strong, stay resilient, and keep bossing up. See you next time.
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