Good Faith Estimate
You have the right to know what your care is expected to cost. Under the federal No Surprises Act, health care providers generally must provide clients who don't have insurance or who aren't using insurance to pay for their care with a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges before services begin. This includes psychotherapy. Because my practice does not bill insurance directly, most clients pay for services out of pocket and are eligible for a Good Faith Estimate.
What You're Entitled To
A Good Faith Estimate of the expected charges for scheduled, non-emergency services, including psychotherapy.
The right to request a Good Faith Estimate before scheduling care, or at any point during your work together.
A written estimate within 1 business day if you schedule at least 3 business days in advance, or within 3 business days if you schedule at least 10 business days in advance. If you request an estimate before scheduling, you'll receive it within 3 business days.
The right to dispute a bill if the charges are at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate. A dispute must generally be initiated within 120 calendar days of receiving the initial bill.
Keep a copy or a photo of your Good Faith Estimate and compare it against your bill.
A Note on Estimating Therapy
Therapy doesn't come with a fixed end date, so an estimate for ongoing work is genuinely an estimate. My Good Faith Estimates reflect my current session fee and a projected number of sessions based on what we discuss at the start of our work together.
How long we work together is always a decision we make together, and you can change course at any point. A Good Faith Estimate is not a treatment commitment or a commitment to pay for a predetermined number of sessions.
Questions
For more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit cms.gov/nosurprises, email FederalPPDRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov, or call 1-800-985-3059.
To request an estimate from me directly, email romi@romiterk.com.