Insurance plans we accept
You can use your insurance plan to pay for mental health care. We currently accept Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (in select states), Cigna, Oscar, Oxford, United Healthcare, and all Optum affiliates.
Our providers are also able to accept a few other third-party insurance carriers whose mental health benefits are administered through the larger insurance networks mentioned above.
If you're still unsure of whether your plan is in-network, add your insurance information into your account and our benefit verification tool will be able to check on your information.
If your plan is showing up as unverified, request a manual verification and we'd be happy to let you know whether your specific plan is considered in-network with us or not.
Deductibles
A deductible is a set amount of money one must pay before insurance begins to pay for care. Plans can have an individual deductible (must be met by the individual seeking care) or a family deductible (if applicable). Deductibles typically reset on a yearly basis.
If your deductible is:Not met
Sessions are billed at the full session rate (set by insurance), and will vary depending on the CPT code(s) used
While paying the full rate with insurance may seem non beneficial, using insurance allows:
Possible lower costs relative to out-of-network
Contribution to the overall deductible alongside other healthcare expenses
If your deductible is: Met
Insurance will cover a portion of each session cost, depending on the individual plan.
Typically, they will cover a percentage; the percentage left over is called “coinsurance”
Session fees
The cost of a therapy session depends on a few things:
Your individual insurance plan
Your provider's training
Location
Session length
We use your insurance information to calculate your out-of-pocket price per session. You won’t be billed until after your session.
Pricing is calculated based on current plan details on file. The expected session cost (based on average session type and length) will be displayed to both the client and the provider within their respective accounts, as well as in appointment reminder emails to clients.
Keeping insurance details up to date
If your insurance plan is about to expire, it’s important to ensure your plan details are up to date in your Headway account.
If you won’t have insurance coverage after your current plan ends, we recommend that you discuss private pay directly with your provider.
To avoid any additional charges, please be sure to always have either an active insurance plan on Headway or opt into private pay with your provider. Beginning June 1 2024, sessions held without active insurance will be automatically charged for the full cost of care*.
* "Full cost of care" is defined as the cost that your insurance carrier determined is the client's responsibility for sessions. You can confirm this cost through the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) provided by your insurance carrier.
Prior authorization
Prior authorization refers to a requirement by health plans for clients to obtain approval of a health care service or medication before the care is provided. Sometimes you may also see prior authorization referred to as prior approval or precertification.
Headway's support team can provide guidance on obtaining instructions for submitting prior authorization requests, but providers must directly submit requests to the insurer due to the required clinical knowledge. Our team can then add the authorization to the client's account so that sessions can be held.