Plain answers
Fees & insurance
Session fees
- Initial consultation (15 minutes) Free
- Initial diagnostic evaluation (up to 90 minutes) $300
- Individual therapy session (50 minutes) $200
Those are the full rates — most insured clients don't pay them. If you're using a plan I'm in network with, your insurer typically covers the bulk of each session and you're responsible only for your copay or coinsurance, which is often a small fraction of the amounts above. What you actually owe depends on your specific plan and whether your deductible has been met. I'll check your benefits before we begin and tell you what to expect, so the first bill isn't a surprise.
A brief call with your physician or a previous therapist to coordinate your care is included at no charge. Substantial non-session work you request — lengthy reports, detailed treatment summaries, extended consultations — is billed at $200 per hour, prorated, and you'll always be told the estimated cost before any of it begins.
If a fee ever increases, you'll get at least 30 days' written notice, and you won't be asked to fill out a new intake packet because of it.
If the fee is out of reach
Ask. A reduced fee is put in writing and states three things: the reduced amount, how long it runs, and what happens when it ends — a return to the standard fee, another review, or a referral to lower-cost care that I help arrange. Reduced fees are time-limited by design, so neither of us is left guessing.
One limit worth stating plainly: if you're insured, I can't reduce, waive, or rebate the copayment or deductible your plan requires — my agreements with insurers prohibit it. A reduced fee applies to services you pay for directly.
Payment
Payment is due at the time of service, and your balance should be paid in full before the next session. You enter your card directly into a secure payment system that meets payment card industry security standards, and it keeps the card on file so session fees can be charged on the day of service.
Your card number is held by the payment company, not by me — I never see it, receive it, or store it. What I hold is a reference code that lets me charge your card without knowing what it is. Please never send a card number by email or text. You'll receive a receipt for every charge, and you can update or withdraw your card authorization in writing at any time.
Card payments are handled by IVY Pay, a payment service built for therapy practices and covered by a business associate agreement.
Credit cards
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- Discover
Also accepted
- Debit cards
- HSA cards
- FSA cards
If paying for a session becomes difficult, tell me — please don't simply cancel. We'll meet and agree on a written plan: a payment schedule, a temporary fee adjustment, a change in session frequency, a referral to lower-cost care, or a pause with an agreed date to revisit.
Insurance
Alexander Seto Therapy, LLC is contracted with HMSA, and may participate with other insurers over time. I'll confirm your specific plan with you when you schedule.
Plans currently accepted: HMSA Akamai Advantage and HMSA PPO.
If I'm in network with your plan, I bill your insurer directly. You're responsible at the time of service for your copayment, coinsurance, and any unmet deductible, and for services your plan doesn't cover or applies to your deductible. Please bring a current insurance card and photo ID, and let me know promptly if your coverage changes.
Two things worth knowing before you use insurance. Insurers require a mental health diagnosis and may request treatment information to process or review claims; that information becomes part of your insurance record, and once it leaves my practice I have no control over how it's stored or reviewed later. And where a plan doesn't cover a service or decides it doesn't meet payment criteria, I may bill you only if you signed a written acknowledgment for that specific service beforehand — if that didn't happen, you owe nothing. Whenever a coverage question is foreseeable, I'll raise it with you in advance, so the decision is yours to make before the session rather than after.
If you'd rather not use insurance at all, you can pay privately at the rates above and nothing is shared with your insurer.
Cancellations and missed appointments
Your appointment time is reserved for you. Please give at least 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. Late cancellations and missed appointments are charged $50, which insurance does not reimburse. If you join late we use the time remaining and the full fee applies; if you haven't joined within 10 minutes and I haven't heard from you, the appointment is missed.
Before charging that fee I'll normally talk with you about it first. The point of it is to protect a reserved hour, not to penalize you for a hard week — I'd rather understand what happened. Emergencies and illness happen and I make occasional exceptions. If missed appointments become a pattern, we'll talk about what would work better.
Your right to a Good Faith Estimate
Under the federal No Surprises Act, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of what your care will cost. Health care providers are required to give patients who don't use insurance an estimate of the expected charges for services before you begin. You'll receive one before your first session, and you can ask for one at any time. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute it. For questions or more information, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
Questions first?
Money questions are welcome at the free consultation — or ask them by form before we ever talk.