What you need to know about insurance reimbursement
We often suggest that clients call their insurance company before coming in to make sure that the visit will be covered. When you call your insurance company, be sure to ask about:
- “Mental Health Benefits” (not “marriage counseling” since most insurance plans do not cover marriage counseling but will cover mental health)
- Verify that Jim Thompson at Hope Renewed Counseling Services is covered under your plan
- If pre-authorization is needed. If yes, then ask:
- How to get it
- What is the authorization number
- How many visits and which dates the visits are covered
- What do I do if additional visits are needed
- Deductibles
- Co-Pays
- Where and to whom should HRCS send the claims
- Name of the person you spoke to, as well as the date
The first visit
We will take a copy of your insurance card, so please bring it along. Our billing service will then bill your insurance company, and after we hear back, you will be billed for any deductibles and co-pays. If you know your co-pay amount, you may want to pay it at each session.
HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations):
We are not able to take some HMOs, but ask. Many HMO plans also have POS and PPO plans that we are able to take, such as P+ POS and Unity POS.
EAPs (Employee Assistance Plans):
Many employers have purchased EAPs for their employees, allowing 3 to 8 sessions at no cost to the employee. Check with your HR department about this benefit. Many of our clinicians are in these networks.
Medicaid:
We do take Medicaid, BadgerCare, and the Forward card, but if it is through an HMO, you need to ask for a referral from your doctor before seeing someone here.
Cash:
If you are not using your insurance, we offer a 20% discount off of our billing rates if you bring a check to each visit. Ask your clinician about this and any other payment questions.
Credit Cards:
The clinic accepts VISA, Mastercard and Discover credit/debit cards.
HSAs (Healthcare Spending Accounts):
Many employers offer HSAs, where you can be reimbursed for your payments from money they have put in there for your use or pre-tax money you have set aside for medical bills.
