162 What is your deductible?

The deductible is the amount of money you have to pay for health services before your insurance plan will pay anything.  In traditional plans, the deductible was often $100 per year per individual, with a $250. family deductible. Today, the deductible is often $250. or $500. or even $1000. If you have a high deductible, you are better off not using your insurance for short term counseling, because you will pay most of the costs anyway.  Some managed care plans allow you to go out of network to any provider you choose, but you must pay a higher deductible if you choose this option.

Managed care plans use high deductibles to prevent you from choosing an out of network provider. But, if you make better progress with an out of network provider, you might decide that the additional cost was well worth it. After all, your goal is to resolve the problem. If you choose your own provider, you can choose the person with the most experience treating your problem, and the provider is more likely to have office hours that suit your schedule.