COUNSELING FAQ’S + FEES

Follow these steps:

1. Call your insurance provider by calling the number listed on the back of your insurance card.
2. Ask your provider if you have out-of-network (OON) benefits for behavioral mental health services with your plan.
3. If you DO have OON benefits, be sure to confirm they will reimburse you for Telehealth/Virtual Therapy if that is the type of service you will be receiving.
4. If you DO have OON benefits, ask them specifically what your reimbursement rate is, and if you have a deductible to reach prior to utilizing your OON benefit.

Now that you have this information, fill out our contact form to set up therapy sessions. Let us know in your message if you are planning to use your insurance’s Out-of-Network benefits.

Insurance clients will provide insurance information and credit card authorization for co-pays and outstanding balances at the time of scheduling your intake. If you do not have an insurance we are paneled with, you may either opt to use your OON benefits or choose to private pay. Clients who do not use their insurance to be billed directly (private pay or OON benefits users) are responsible for paying Stella Luna for therapy sessions at the time of service. This is handled by an automatic debit of your card that will be kept on file (HSA, FSA or credit/debit).

You will let our office know how you decide to handle payments at the time of scheduling your intake. If using OON benefits, tell your therapist during your intake appointment that you would like to be set up to receive a super bill for past paid sessions at the beginning of each month. Stella Luna Therapy will email you this Super Bill directly to your email on file for your last month of services. This Super Bill reflects PHI, including your diagnosis (you must have an approved diagnosis to utilize OON benefits through your insurance), session dates, the billable codes for your sessions, and the therapist’s license number and business Tax ID number. You will then submit your Super Bill to your insurance provider for reimbursement. You can figure out what you will be reimbursed by using the example below. Please note that Stella Luna Therapy is NOT responsible for coordinating reimbursements or negotiating fees and reimbursements for therapy sessions with your provider at any time. Stella Luna Therapy is NOT responsible for any services that are not approved through your provider.

Example of how OON works***Let’s say your provider says your OON benefit covers 75% of your session fee. If your individual therapy session is $125 per 52 minute session, you will pay Stella Luna Therapy $125 at the time of service. Then, at the beginning of the following month our office will e-mail you a Super Bill. You will then submit the Super Bill to your insurance for reimbursement. If you’re covered at 75% of the session fee, you will be reimbursed $93.75 for each session. This means the final expense to you for your session is just $31.25—an amount equal to or even less than many co-pay amounts for an in network provider for behavioral mental health!

*Please note, Stella Luna Therapy does not provide refunds for services under any circumstance, unless there was a billing error on our end. Stella Luna Therapy is not responsible for communicating with your insurance provider, and is not liable if your provider denies reimbursement for services with our office.

Some clients have used a service called BETTER to simplify their reimbursement process.

If you do not have insurance, or your insurance provider does not offer Out of Network (OON) benefits, you are welcome to private pay using credit or debit card, or you can use your Health Savings Account (HSA). Whichever route you choose, counseling always takes a commitment on your part.

Many of our clients opt to be private pay clients. Many people do not realize there are additional benefits to not using their behavioral health benefits for mental health services.

1. First is choice. You are not limited when choosing the provider that best fits your needs. Counseling is a very personal process and feeling forced to work with someone based solely on insurance benefits may not allow you to find the best match or someone who specializes in what you really need.
2. Second is freedom to explore issues without the requirement of medical necessity. The medical model places limits on coverage based on determination of medical necessity for both INN and OON coverage. There are many circumstances in which counseling can be beneficial despite a client not meeting criteria for a DSM diagnosis. Dealing with developmentally appropriate stress, acquisition of coping skills, difficulty with life transitions/stressors, self-compassion and identity work, relationship issues, and feeling “stuck” are just some of the common issues that do not warrant a formal diagnosis and may not be covered.
3. Third is collaboration in treatment. If we decided 50 minutes is not long enough, we can extend your session time to 90 minutes. Some clients do this because they enjoy meeting less frequently, but for longer amounts of time. This is common for couples work and family therapy when schedules are more difficult to coordinate. Additionally, some clients enjoy having longer sessions for retreat style EMDR therapy, or just additional time for talking/processing before or after EMDR therapy takes place.
   Alternatively, if you feel weekly appointments are highly beneficial in the beginning of therapy, and you later wish to reduce frequency to 2x/month or once monthly, we will decide this together and it won’t be based on your insurance providing a limited number of approved sessions. Many people enjoy titrating down to less frequent sessions as therapeutic goals are met.