[struggling2]

does anyone here pay out of pocket for their therapy? as in....insurance doesnt cover it or your therapist isnt covered under the network etc?

my insurance just changed and my T isnt covered under this network. he said he can try to apply with that insurnace but sometimes it cant take months to get covered. he offered to let me continue and pay what I could until he can get covered and my co-pay would be like $15 or something again.

i dont know what to do. i dont know what is fair. his normal fee is like $120. Could I figure out a way to pay that....probably....with an extra job or really really cutting back on anything and everything else in my life. But long term it doesnt seem realistic. Im just getting to a point where I feel like im gaining momentum. I dont want to stop or start over with someone else and I almost feel like id like to go twice a week to keep the ball rolling.

Id feel guilty not paying him what he charges but I also think "ok, over the course of 6mos to a year this could cost me thousands of dollars! this is crazy!"

but when i think of quitting....i just cant. i have to fix me. can you put a price tag on that?

*sigh*

[tkdgirl]

My insurance only covers $300/year while my T charges $120/hr. So I pay fully out of pocket. The way I view it, is it is an investment in me similar to paying tuition to get an education.

I wouldn't let money be a barrier to stop therapy. Lots of Ts have sliding scales so I don't think you should feel guilty for not paying his full fee. I'm sure his quality of life won't be affected by you paying him less than the $120 he charges. I would pay whatever you can without having to get a second job or any other extreme measures.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Originally Posted by struggling2

does anyone here pay out of pocket for their therapy? as in....insurance doesnt cover it or your therapist isnt covered under the network etc?

I pay completely out of pocket and it's $150 per 1 hour session. My therapist does not take insurance and I don't wish to file the claims as out of pocket, since my insurance is weird about mental health stuff. I'd rather just pay out of pocket and then take the deduction on my taxes.

[likelife]

I just realized that what I thought was my annual deductible is actually less than a third of the deductible. Stupid unclear insurance plans. It's my own damn fault for not reading more clearly, but I thought I had.

At any rate, there's no way I'll meet my deductible this year, so I'm essentially paying my T out of pocket. I've used flex spending money to cover some of it, which helps, but it's still damned expensive. I struggle with the money aspect of it sometimes. I don't begrudge my T her fee, and I think her time is valuable. But I will probably need to cut down on sessions, which sucks, because it's not about being at a place where I'm ready to do that, it's purely financial. I'm pretty sure my T doesn't offer any kind of reduced fee (not that I think she should).

Sometimes I shudder to think about what I've paid (literally) for my mental health over the years.

If your T offered a reduced rate, I wouldn't worry about accepting it. It sounds like he's trying to do the right thing.

I pay out of pocket. I had health insurance (fairly unusual and privileged in the UK where most rely on the National Health Service) but they cut me off five months into seeing my current T for being 'chronic'. Ha.

I pay £120 a week for therapy. When the month has four Fridays, that's £480. When it has five, it's £600. My monthly income (total, not disposable) is £1,190. I can only afford to pay because I have a lump sum of money from an out of court settlement relating to negligent mental health treatment I received from the NHS when I was young. I try not to dip into this lump sum, but it's inevitable with half my income going on therapy, and rent, bills, food still to pay. When I do the maths it takes my breath away. The other day I looked up T's child's private school and realised that I (just one client) am paying 6 months of her school fees each year. When I think about my annual spend on therapy as a deposit on a house, as funding for fertility treatment to conceive... it really hurts. But I always come back to the truth, which is that without therapy to change myself and my life, I would be utterly miserable in that theoretical house, I would be unfit to parent that theoretical baby. When I came into therapy, I was so suicidal and my behaviour was so dangerous, it honestly looked likely that the lump sum would sit intact in the bank while I lay in a coffin.

I think that those of us who are lucky to have some resources do we do what we have to do to stay alive and give ourselves a chance at happiness. Not that it's easy, not that it doesn't hurt to think of what I could ('should') be doing instead, but I know for me it's the right thing to do.

[iGottaBme]

My therapist does not take insurance so I pay $180 for a 90-minute session. I expect to see her for a year and consider it to be an investment. After I finish, I am going to take that money and put it towards my mortgage payment. It is tough to write that check each time but I have learned to make it work and go without other things.

My previous therapist was covered under my plan but my co-pay was $60. The insurance company paid $20. When I was between insurance plans, he accepted $80 instead of his usual $120. My therapist told me that he got to set the fee, not me. He thought that it was a control issue with me when I suggested paying more than the $80 fee that he was willing to accept. They can always put on spin on it, can't they?

I pay out of pocket. She gives me a reduced fee.

[Elli-Beth]

I pay out of pocket, a reduced fee also. If you're T is willing to offer it, go for it!

[sittingatwatersedge]

Originally Posted by struggling2

does anyone here pay out of pocket for their therapy? as in....insurance doesnt cover it or your therapist isnt covered under the network etc?

I do & prefer it that way (greater privacy). It was dicey whether T2 would take me; what I could give her was a lot less than she has every right to charge; but she was generous to accept me anyway.

Sliding scale is not an easy discussion, but you will never know till you try. good luck

[pbutton]

My therapist is out of network. My insurance covers about half the $150 fee. I pay the balance. I'd pay a lot less if I went in-network, but I don't really want to start over with a new therapist right now.

[rainboots87]

Luckily, my individual T deals with all the chaos my insurance company creates. She said I'm only one of two clients she takes insurance from. Which is great for me, because I was having major financial difficulties when I started with her (just a little better now). Instead of her $125 for a 50 min session (which usually ends up being closer to an hour), I pay a $15 co-pay. I did have a $500 deductible, but between T and other stuff, it didn't take long to fulfill. My group T and my dietitian do not take insurance, however. For awhile, my group T let me pay a reduced amount, and I decided when I could start paying more and eventually worked my way back up to the full fee. My dietitian also offers me a reduced price, though we agreed recently to increase that. It's still less than her full amount, though. Without their help, I wouldn't be in therapy, because it is too freakin' expensive. The only reason I was able to see someone on a regular basis a few years ago was because my undergrad university offered free individual and group therapy, and I saw a dietitian on a sliding scale (paid out of pocket). There was a period of time between when I just could not afford to pay for therapy out of pocket or even with my insurance's co-pay ($25 or $35 at the time, can't remember), so I couldn't go for more than a couple sessions at a time. I don't even think I'd recognize any of the T's I saw in that time. Therapy is expensive, and even now I need my credit cards to make it work, but I think it is so worth it.

I pay out of pocket, approximately US$120 per 45-minute session. If I'd gone through the health care system rather than seeking out a T in private practice I might have got a much cheaper option but I would probably have had to wait for a long, long time. And my experiences from 10 years ago when I tried to get psych help through the system were really bad, and I just couldn't face going through that again. I could probably get my workplace to pay for at least part of the treatment but I don't want to get them involved. If I'd managed to get my GP to refer me to a psychotherapist I would also have gotten normal health care prices ($15 or so per session) but I'm not sure I could talk him into doing that, and again I have no idea what kind of a therapist I would have ended up with.

[Perna]

I paid out of pocket, $200 a week for a 100 minute session. I got a job to pay for it so it didn't impact the family budget.

[sunrise]

I pay out of pocket. Right now I have been going to therapy every other week for 50 minutes. Before that, I went every 3-4 weeks for 90 minutes. I try not to think about how much I have paid for therapy over the last few years. It has really benefited me. Since I pay out of pocket, I can take the cost as a tax deduction if I itemize. I also deduct for the miles driven to T's office and a fee for parking each time. Every penny counts!

[WePow]

I pay out of pocket. When I started, T took my insurance. I found him from my network. Then I burned out and had to go a whole lot. T was fighting with the insurance company. And then he decided to drop insurance. I can't blame him. I remember the day he told me and how he gave a big smile that is his protective smile. Then he told me how he only had a couple of people using it (I was one) - and how he only worried about how one other client would pay for therapy since he needed it and didn't have a job the way I did. I felt so guilty about being a bother to him with my insurance stuff and thinking my problems caused someone else to maybe not be able to get therapy that I really wanted to offer to pay for the other clients sessions so he would not be harmed! I didn't.

Anyway, I paid out of pocket last year for therapy. I have a good paying job so I don't mind because without therapy I would not have that job at all.... or be alive. But it is a chunk of change.

[Nightlight]

Where I am, insurance doesn't cover therapy. I do get a benefit that contributes to medical costs, so I end up paying $55 out of pocket. I'm a student at the moment so it's not easy. Without therapy I'd be lost though. I wasn't coping on my own.

[struggling2]

how is paying for therapy a tax deduction?? I was not aware of this!

[sconnie892]

Originally Posted by struggling2

how is paying for therapy a tax deduction?? I was not aware of this!

I am not a tax expert, but I believe it falls under a deductible medical expense. It's like out of pocket visits to the doctor and dentist, eye exams, etc.

I pay out of pocket also. T offers a reduced rate, for which I am very grateful. I could never afford it at her full rate. Sometimes even at the reduced rate it is still a struggle. We have discussed this and space my appointments every two weeks to make sure I can have continual therapy and not spurts every few months.

I try to remember that t's fee covers things besides t's time such as her cost for the office space, heat, lights, insurance, etc... and like others have said, I see it as an investment. The out of pocket also motivates me to do the work.

[Elli-Beth]

Originally Posted by struggling2

how is paying for therapy a tax deduction?? I was not aware of this!

Yes, and gas mileage and parking also

[CantExplain]

I've paid every cent for every session.

[Honeybun]

I pay out of pocket, full fee. I see 2x therapists more than once a week. Basically my income covers my therapy, so I am poor! But wouldn't be alive without it. Where I live there is no coverage for psychological care. Oh, but if I want to see a psychiatrist to take meds, that would be covered! GRRR. Won't get started on that!

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by sconnie892

The out of pocket also motivates me to do the work.

That motivates me too. When I'm paying every penny and the rate is so high and I don't even have much income now, that makes me want to get all I can out of every second. There is this word from the world of Freud--"resistance." I have found that having to pay out of pocket helps make resistance fly out the window. I don't have the money to have resistance!

[splitimage]

Psychologists aren't covered by public insurance where I am, so I'v always payed out of pocket $160 / session. My T offers sliding scale $120 - $185. I've been with her a long time, so she's never increased me. And after I lost my job last year, she agreed to cut her fee to $100/session, which is still a huge chunk of my income but I feel like I really benefit from the therapy so every penny is worth it to me. Right now I don't have any income coming in, employment insurance ran out, and I mentioned I might have to drop out of T, if I don't find a job soon - am also thinking of going back to school for retraining, but she told me not to worry about that, we'd cross that bridge when we came to it, and we could probably work something out, so I don't really know what that means.

spliitmage

[Snuffleupagus]

This thread is making me so grateful for my current situation where I get to see my therapist once a week for no copay. Heck, I'm getting two sessions next week. I'm feeling really glad that I found a helpful therapist within our insurance system. With my exT and the same insurance, I only had a copay of $15, but I only got to see her every 4-6 weeks. When I switched, they upgraded the "severity" of my condition which I did not care about because it meant I got to go every week for free. In retrospect, I don't think I would have stayed with dysfunctional exT nearly so long if I was paying out of pocket, but I might not have stuck with therapy at all. Really interesting thread.

[WikidPissah]

This thread has made me grateful as well. I have decent insurance and pay $20 co-pay per visit. Once I hit $1500 out of pocket (includes all med expenses) my co-pays are gone. There is no way I could afford to pay out of pocket...as a matter of fact when I had cancer and lots of med co-pays I had to stop T for a while.