Posted by Ted on August 2, 2001, at 11:11:36
In reply to Cost of psychiatry, posted by Collete on August 2, 2001, at 10:18:31
Collette,
FWIW, here are my costs:
Pdoc, initial exam: $200 (1 hour)
(my insurance reimbursed $67.50)
Pdoc, med maintenance exam: $120 (20-30 min)
(don't yet know level of reimbursement)
Therapist: $80 per hour
(don't yet know level of reimbursement, if any)My therapist is actually quite low cost. When I was checking around, others were in the range $90 - $120 per hour. I chose mine based on recommendations; cost is not a factor for me (within reason).
Notes:
1. I live in Silicon Valley (San Jose, CA), which has a quite high cost of living, so expenses are relatively high here.
2. My pdoc is well known, respected, and popular. He can charge whatever he wants.
3. My therapist is still an internist and not yet licensed. When she gets her license (within the next month), her rates may climb to the normal range.
4. My insurance covers 50% of the "usual and customary" cost. But the value they place on "usual and customary" is probably from the lowest cost part of the US, so they low-ball all refunds (no real surprise there).
5. If you live in the US and are employed, you can help your costs by using a Section 125 (of the Internal Revenue Code) payroll deduction plan for medical savings. This works by taking pre-tax money out of your paycheck and placing it in an escrow account. You then submit receipts from doctors, prescriptions, eyeglasses, etc., and are refunded 100% from the escrow account. This way you will at least save the income tax on your expenses. Section 125 plans are limited to $2000 per year, so it is easy to use it all up. One note: any money left in the escrow account and unclaimed at the end of the year is forfeited -- if you don't use it, you lose it -- so be careful not to over-withhold.Ted
> I hope this question isn't inappropriate. I am new here. My insurance pays nothing for mental health so consequently my initial visit with a psych cost me $182. I was told that followup visits will cost the same. I can afford these rates so asking him for some sort of break wouldn't fly, but still the cost of seeing him AND paying for the meds is pretty high. Does his rate seem inline with the cost of seeing a psychiatrist? Thank you, Collette
poster:Ted
thread:73097
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010731/msgs/73101.html