Deciding you are ready to go to therapy is a brave first step. As you prepare to begin your therapy journey, you may be wondering how to make sure your therapy is covered by your insurance.
Finding a therapist or mental health professional who is right for your needs and accepts your insurance can be daunting. Use this guide to get answers to your questions and help you take the right next steps.
How to find a therapist who takes your insurance
If you’re interested in online therapy sessions, here are four tips to help you find a provider who accepts your insurance.
1. Reach out to your insurance company
One of the first steps you should take when searching for an online therapist who takes your insurance is to call your insurance provider. Your insurance company can tell you more about what your health plan does and doesn’t cover, including any therapy costs you’ll have to pay yourself — such as deductibles and copays.
Your insurance company can also provide you with a list of in-network therapists. These therapists will often offer discounted pricing, which means that working with in-network providers is a great way to save even more on teletherapy. Your insurance company can also let you know if you need a referral to see a mental health professional.
2. Check your plan’s insurance information online
Understanding your insurance benefits is important to making sure you connect with a therapist who is covered by your plan. It’s also important to connect with a therapist who is in-network with your plan to help you further save on costs.
In-network providers are doctors, other health care professionals (such as licensed therapists), and hospitals that have a contract with your insurance plan and agree to accept your insurance’s approved amount for their services. What this means is that you will pay less out of pocket when you see an in-network provider compared to an out-of-network provider (a provider who is not contracted with your insurance plan).
Most insurers have directories that provide a list of mental health professionals who are covered by your plan. It can be helpful to reach out to your insurance company to have a representative talk you through the directory and your options for in-network therapists. They’ll confirm if a provider in the directory is in-network, and also answer any questions you may have about specific coverage details for each provider — such as how much of a session’s cost may be covered by your plan and how much you may be expected to pay out of pocket for each session. Your insurance representative will also be able to give you the contact information for covered, in-network providers.
If your insurance is provided to you through your employer, you can also talk to your employer’s human resources (HR) representative for guidance.
3. Reach out to your company’s HR department
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) may be included in your employee benefits and can make accessing mental health care more affordable. Unlike health insurance plans, EAPs typically offer employees a certain number of free sessions before they have to pay with their insurance benefits or out-of-pocket.
You may need more sessions than what’s offered by your employer’s EAP. If this is the case, you may be referred to another mental health professional to continue sessions. You’ll want to talk to your HR representative to understand if and how those sessions are covered, and to learn more about the specific services offered by your EAP.
4. Ask a therapist if they accept your insurance
If you’ve already found a therapist you’d like to work with, it doesn’t hurt to contact them to see if they accept your insurance. SonderMind makes this easy for you — we connect you to therapists who accept your insurance and can check if your preferred therapist accepts your insurance so you can avoid the hassle of reaching out by yourself.
What if my insurance doesn’t cover therapy?
Insurers aren’t required by law to offer mental health benefits. If your insurance plan doesn’t offer coverage for mental health care, rest assured, you still have other options for care.
You can seek care from a Federally Qualified Health Center in your area, which is a community-based health care center that is federally-funded. You can also reach out to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). Their toll-free helpline provides free information and support. Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email NAMI at [email protected]. They can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 AM – 10 PM EST.
What insurance does SonderMind accept?
SonderMind can help take the hassle out of connecting to a therapist or mental health professional in your area who accepts your insurance. SonderMind therapists are in-network with a variety of insurance plans in the states we operate in. To see if your insurance plan is accepted and connect with a licensed provider who is accepting new clients, click here.
As with private insurance plans, some online therapy providers accept Medicare and Medicaid while others don’t. All of the same steps that apply when searching for a provider that accepts your private insurance also apply when searching for a provider that takes Medicare or Medicaid — including using an online therapy platform.
SonderMind accepts Medicare and Medicare Advantage, but currently doesn’t accept Medicaid or Tricare.
SonderMind makes it easy to connect with a therapist who accepts your insurance
We do the work for you — just tell us a bit about what you’re looking for in a therapist, where you’re located, and who you have for insurance, and we’ll connect you with a licensed therapist who meets your needs and accepts your insurance. If your insurance doesn’t cover therapy, SonderMind offers self-pay options. Get started connecting to a SonderMind therapist here.
SonderMind can also help answer any questions you have regarding connecting to a SonderMind therapist who accepts your insurance. Just call us at (866) 298-8341, Monday - Friday, 7 AM - 6 PM MST. Or, reach out to us at [email protected]. We can help you figure out the next best steps to get you the mental health support you’re looking for.
