To be fair, insurance companies tend to pay every type of provider less than what he or she charges upfront. The last time I went to a doctor, he tried to bill my insurance over $400. Doctor's visits are usually billed at less, but I guess he charged that much because he ran a bunch of different tests on me because my symptoms were troubling. Insurance gave him $200 of that. I am not sure what my insurance gives mental health providers. I only knew about the $400 bill because my dad called me and was like, "I'm looking at my insurance statement, and what the heck did you go to a doctor for that he charged $400?!" As a side note, I hate that my dad can see every provider I see since it's his insurance. I don't really want him to know if I'm seeing a psychologist or how often I see a gynecologist.