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A superbill isn't really a bill, it's actually a highly detailed receipt! Providers who aren't able to accept insurance, and are thus considered an out-of-network provider can choose to offer their clients a superbill upon request. Clients can reach out to their insurance companies themselves to see if they accept superbill submissions and what the process is for reimbursement. If the client is able to obtain a claim form and follow the insurance company's steps to submit a superbill, then it is reasonable to say there is there is a possibility that the client can receive reimbursement of their recently paid out-of-network services. This reimbursement to the client would occur after processing of the claim and would be provided directly from the client's own health insurance company, not from the service provider.
The difficulty here is that out-of-network providers aren't able to guarantee that the client will recieve a reimbursment, as it's impossible for the provider to know each insurance company's individual policies--thus it is on the client to call their plan and discover this information. However, the superbill itself often will contain information that will help clients to submit the requested information easily. This requested information on a reimbursement claim form can include pieces of information like an EIN, applicable service codes, client diagnosis', copy of the superbill, and a provider signature on the superbill for example.
Why Ask for a Superbill for Online Counseling Services?
The obvious answer here is because, if you are willing do a bit of upfront work and be patient for the reimbursement claim to process, it has the potential to save you a lot of money! In some cases, you may even be able to save more money seeing an out-of-network provider and submitting a superbill than you would paying down your deductible and co-insurance every visit when seeing an in-network provider.
Here is an example to help contextualize this concept*:
Let's say you pay $100/counseling session with your awesome online trauma therapist who is based in Texas. You do some research, discuss with your insurance plan and discover that your current plan will reimburse you up to 50%* of outpatient mental health service charges recieved with out-of-network providers. In this example then, that means you could be getting up to $50/session* back from your health insurance company for each session! This is of course, would be after it processes the superbill reimbursement claim form you complete and submit.
While each insurance company and plan is different, and some may not offer reimbursement, it can pay off to ask questions of your insurance's member services team to help you understand what kind of coverage your plan might offer you for out-of-network mental health provider services.
Working with a Texas mental health service provider who offers affordable online counseling services ($70/session rate or below) AND will give you a superbill upon request---now THAT'S a game-changer!
Contact Us to work with a therapist who not only supports you in achieving your psychotherapy goals but also looks out for your wallet too!
*This is an EXAMPLE for educational purposes only and may not reflect the true reimbursement rates offered by your plan.
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