No. Using insurance is always your choice.

Some people prefer to use insurance, whereas others choose self-pay because of deductibles, privacy, flexibility, or plan limitations.

If you want to use insurance, we encourage you to call your insurance first to see what your plan supports you on. Otherwise, we can provide limited information during the initial consultation call.

When a practice says they "accept insurance", this means that they have signed a contract with certain insurance companies to help cover costs.

Even though a practice accepts insurance, it's important to understand whether or not they accept (or have a signed contract with) your insurance.

See our FAQs on in-network and out-of-network insurance.

Also note that "accepting insurance" isn't the same as free. Most people still have to pay a little bit for each session. This is all dependent on the type of insurance plan you have.

When a practice accepts insurance that is considered "in-network", this means that the practice has signed a contract with your specific insurance company to help cover costs.

Because of this contract, we send the bill straight to your insurance company instead of making you pay the whole thing upfront.

Note that depending on your insurance plan, there may be out of pocket costs like a co-pay or a deductible.

We are currently in-network with the following insurance companies:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Minnesota

• Most BCBS plans from other states (as long as it's considered a "PPO" plan*)

• HealthPartners

• Cigna

This means that if you have an insurance plan that is not provided by one of the insurance companies above, then your insurance is "out of network" with our practice.

We also want to note that we are not enrolled with:

• Minnesota fee-for-service Medicaid (also called “straight MA”)

• This is a type of health insurance provided by the state of Minnesota

• Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans

• This is a federal health insurance program for people 65 and older (and younger people with certain disabilities)

If your insurance is out-of-network with us, we are more than happy to share other mental health practices that may be in network with your insurance.

*PPO stands for Preferred Provider Organization and just means that you can visit any in-network health professional without having to get a referral from your primary care provider.

A co-pay is a set amount of money you pay before you see a healthcare provider (i.e. doctor, therapist, etc.). A co-pay is different for each insurance plan and can also vary depending on the type of healthcare you're getting.

Co-insurance is a percentage of the total bill (i.e. insurance pays 80%, you pay 20%). This is usually for more expensive things like surgery, x-rays, or ER visits. Co-insurance is different for each insurance plan and you won't find out the amount you pay until after the bill comes.

A deductible is the amount you must pay out-of-pocket before your insurance begins to help cover costs. Each insurance plan is different and so this is why we encourage you to call your insurance to figure out what your deductible is.

For example, if your plan has a $3,000 deductible, that means you will pay for healthcare services until you have met that $3,000 amount. Once you do that, insurance will start to help you cover costs and the amount you pay for services should go down.

Note that co-pays and co-insurances still apply and are plan-dependent.

Deductibles reset each calendar year, which is January 1 through December 31.

Even though a practice may accept insurance, they may not have signed a contract with your specific insurance company. This means that practice is "out-of-network" for you.

Even if you are out-of-network with us, you can still receive therapy from one of our therapists. You will just have to pay for each session out-of-pocket in full.

Check out our FAQ on superbills to learn more about how you could still receive financial support from your insurance company with an out-of-network practice.

There should be a customer service phone number on the back of your insurance card.

You can ask them to check what your insurance plan covers if you went to MindBalance Mental Health Care for mental health support.

You could also provide our National Provider Identifier (NPI) number, which is a unique number that insurance companies use to identify our practice.

Our NPI number is 1629789821

Some other helpful questions to ask them are:

• Is MindBalance Mental Health Care in-network our out-of-network with my plan?

If in-network:

• What is my deductible, and how much have I met?

• What is my co-pay or co-insurance for therapy sessions?

• Do I need to meet my deductible before these copay/coinsurance rates take effect?

• Are telehealth sessions covered?

• Is there a limit on the number of sessions I can have with a therapist each year?

If out-of-network:

• What are my out-of-network benefits for mental health?

• How do I submit superbills for reimbursement?

A superbill is a specialized, itemized receipt provided by out-of-network healthcare providers. Unlike a standard store receipt, it contains highly specific medical data, including diagnosis codes and procedure codes, which tell your insurance company exactly why you were seen, what services were performed, and how much you paid out-of-pocket.

Self-pay means you choose not to use insurance for therapy.

Instead, you pay the session fee directly to our practice at the time of service. Because insurance is not involved, there is no need to meet diagnostic criteria, and we do not submit claims* to an insurance company.

Some people choose self-pay because it offers more flexibility, avoids high deductibles, or feels simpler and more private. Self-pay can also be a good option if your insurance does not cover therapy, has limited benefits, or if we are out of network with your plan.

*Claims are basically our practice sending the bill directly to your insurance company to ask them to pay their share of the cost.

If you have a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan, such as Kaiser or Blue Shield of California HMO, we are considered out-of-network. Most HMO plans do not offer out-of-network benefits, which means therapy would not be covered unless you see a provider in your HMO network.

In these cases, we recommend that you contact your insurance plan directly to find a provider in your network.

An HMO is like a "members-only" health club where you trade flexibility for lower costs. You pick one main doctor (or primary care provider) who acts as a gatekeeper; if you need to see a specialist, you must get a "permission slip" called a referral from them first. Because you’re required to stay within a specific network of doctors and hospitals, your monthly bills and out-of-pocket fees are usually much cheaper than other plans.