Yes, most insurance is required to cover these services as healthcare. Your plan may use the term Behavioral Health and may have a separate section on its website for these services.

It depends on your health insurance. For counseling/psychotherapy, most plans require a copay, usually between $15-$25. For psychiatry/medication management, the copay may be between $15-$50. If you have the Student Health Insurance Plan (United Healthcare Student Resources), you can review your copay information here. [Copay costs may change each academic year. Please review costs annually for your insurance.] If you have another insurance plan, check your summary of benefits and coverage for the cost of the copay.

Some plans may require you to meet a deductible (amount that you need to pay out of pocket before insurance will start covering services). If you have student insurance, you can review deductible information here. . [Deductible costs may change each academic year. Please review costs annually for your insurance.] If you have another insurance plan, check with your insurance provider if you are required to meet a deductible and the amount of that deductible.

If you have student insurance, you may utilize telemental health services for counseling and psychiatric medication management through Healthiest You. There is no copay or charge for these services through Healthiest You.

There are several ways to find which providers accept your insurance. (1) You can look at a list of providers on your insurance company’s website and search by location. (2) You can use national counseling provider search databases, such as Psychology Today Find a Therapist and search by location then insurance accepted. Mental health providers pay to be listed in these databases so the databases may not include every provider in your area. (3) You can utilize SCC Referral Assistance (see above for how to access this service). (4) Or you can contact the mental health providers directly to ask which insurance they accept.

You should always confirm with your provider prior to your first appointment that they accept your insurance. Providers may change insurance panels or only accept a limited number of clients/patients with certain types of insurance. Do not assume that all mental health providers within a group practice accept the same insurance plans.

Check your health insurance to see if you can submit claims for reimbursement for out-of-network providers. Many insurance plans cover out-of-network providers, but at reduced reimbursement (i.e., 80% of cost for in-network vs. 60% of cost for out-of-network). If you have the Student Health Insurance Plan (United Healthcare Student Resources), you can check your out-of-network benefits here. You will need to submit to your insurance copies of your bill and complete claims forms for out-of-network providers.

If you know you will be changing insurance, such as aging out of parents’ insurance or changing due to other life circumstances, ask your current mental health provider as early as possible if they accept your new insurance. If they do not, they may be able to refer you to colleagues who do accept your new insurance. If you know you will be changing health insurance and will continue to utilize behavioral health services, investigate behavioral health coverage and the number of providers in your area. Some plans have more mental health providers and better coverage for behavioral health.

Try to contact a few providers to see if they are accepting new clients and what their availability is for appointments. If you do not receive a response after one week, you should follow up or try more providers. Some providers will include in their website or voicemail if they are accepting new clients or if there is a waitlist for new clients. If you are seeking a very specialized provider and type of treatment, you may have to wait for them to have openings or consider broadening your search.

Contact the SCC for Referral Assistance services. You can call the main number (410) 328-8404. Our clinicians will gather information from you about your mental health treatment needs and work with you to identify and connect with providers. Certain times of the year tend to be “peak times” for mental health providers (i.e., October-November and March-April) so it may take longer to connect with providers if you are seeking services during these times. In some cases, the SCC may be able to provide bridge services (one or two 30-45 minute appointments) while you are waiting to connect with a provider.

Some mental health providers may be able to offer low-cost or sliding scale services. Contact the SCC for referral assistance services as the SCC may have referral information for these providers. Low-cost and sliding scale services are limited and may have waitlists. In some cases, the SCC may be able to provide bridge services (one or two 30-45 minute appointments) while you are waiting to connect with a provider.

Under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), you can request that your mental health treatment providers and insurance plan restrict disclosure of private health information if you are over the age of 18. Insurance companies are required to not disclose confidential information if this information would put you, the patient, in danger or at risk. You may request that your mental health treatment providers and insurer sends any billing, copayment information, or Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to your address or portal login. Some insurance companies may be less flexible with this request based on state laws and differing criteria about what may present a danger or risk if private health information is disclosed to parent policyholders. If you have this concern, call your insurance company prior to seeking services and inquire if EOB and other billing information can be sent directly to the patient.

No. Many other types of services can be effective in treating or managing your mental health. Support groups, self-care apps (which may offer student discounts for annual subscriptions), psychotherapy self-guided workbooks, and mental health-focused podcasts can all be useful tools for your mental health. Please visit the SCC website section on Self-Help Resources for suggestions.