C&C Therapy

Frequently asked questions

1. What is your availability?

• Each individual therapist’s schedule is different, but there is collective availability all seven days of the week, including evenings! You can tell us your availability and we can match you with a therapist with openings. If you have a specific therapist in mind that you would like to meet with, please feel free to reach out for their schedule.

2. Do you treat children?

• We do not treat children at this practice, but we are happy to help you find someone that does. We meet with clients age 16 and up. Feel welcome to ask us who we recommend for child therapy in the Kansas City area.

3. What if I want sessions to be longer than 50 min?

• There are many reasons someone might want longer sessions. This is actually a really popular option for couples and families. If you would like a 1.5 hr or 2 hr session all you need to do is let us know at the time of scheduling. For extended sessions, our full fee will be prorated for the additional time, and you won't have to do any extra paperwork.

4. What makes Communication and Communication Therapy different from other practices?

• At C&C Therapy, we believe that therapy should be honest, effective, and accessible. We practice this belief system by being transparent in our treatment planning and expectations, using research-based treatment methods, and we offer an honor-system sliding scale where clients tell us how much they can afford, and we believe them. We also provide therapy both in-office and online (for Kansas residents), and offer weekend and evening appointments for those with busy weekday schedules.

5. Do you take insurance?

• Great question. We hope to someday! Insurance is a great resource for those who otherwise would not have accessibility to mental health care. We do not currently take insurance for several reasons, three of which we will do our best to explain below:

1. Insurance adheres to the medical model model of care. What this means is that insurance will only reimburse or pay for sessions if the client seeks therapy for a diagnosable mental disorder. If you use insurance you must be diagnosed with something. For many, this is no problem. For others, they may be seeking therapy for non-diagnosable reasons, such as; grief, family/relationship conflict, stress, coping with illness, non-clinical depression/anxiety, communication, etc. Notably, some insurance companies have started to cover couples and family therapy!

2. Flexibility and simplicity- both for therapists and clients. Using insurance for mental health can be complicated and varies by company. You first need to get a referral through your doctor, through the insurance company, or search on your own. Then, the therapist you choose has to be approved, co-pays/benefits need to be verified, and if everything is good to go, you can start meeting with your therapist. Then, the insurance company determines session limits (how many and how often), and what interventions (treatments) can be used. These restrictions are usually pre-set by the company, but can vary depending on the diagnosis you are being treated for. On the provider side, not taking insurance allows us to see more clients by spending less time on paperwork, reimbursement and co-pay filing, obtaining approvals, and advocating for more sessions. With more freedom all around, you can choose your therapist, and together determine what is the best plan for you to reach your goals.

3. Privacy. Anytime you use insurance for mental health your information can be audited. Insurance companies are considered "Third-Party Payers" and have the right to your mental health records to justify/approve coverage. Audits don't happen to everyone, and can range from confirmation of attendance to full file assessment. For many clients, this may not be an issue at all. For others, they may prefer to keep what they discuss in therapy between them and their therapist. Privacy is the biggest reason for our decision to not accept various insurance plans at this time. We don't want our clients to ever have to think about whether or not what they share with their therapist will be given to an insurance auditor... and honestly, we don't want to think about that either.

• Although we answered a question as to why we do not take insurance, We want to make it clear that using insurance for therapy is valuable and a great option for most. It's a personal choice and often a necessity. Everyone's situation is different, and it's pretty hard to seek therapy a "wrong" way. What's most important is to do what feels right for you.

*Effective January 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act, which Congress passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, is designed to protect patients from surprise bills for emergency services at out-of-network facilities or for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, holding them liable only for in-network cost-sharing amounts. The No Surprises Act also enables uninsured patients to receive a good faith estimate of the cost of care.

Billing Disclosures – Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?

When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a health care facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care–like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider.

You are protected from balance billing for:

Emergency services

If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Additionally, this act protects patients from balance billing when patients receive (i) covered non-emergency services from an out-of-network provider when patients did not receive notice that the provider was out-of-network; (ii) covered medically necessary services from an out-of-network provider when such services are not available in-network,; (iii) covered medically necessary services from an out of network provider at an in-network facility, if patients did not have a reasonable opportunity to choose an in-network provider. These protections apply to patients with coverage through insurers licensed to transact accident or health insurance, a nonprofit hospital service corporation, a nonprofit medical service corporation, a health maintenance organization (“HMO”), and preferred provider organization (“PPO”). These protections only require patients to pay the amount required for in-network services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center

When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.

If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections. You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

Additionally, this act also protects patients with coverage through a PPO from balance billing when patients receive emergency services and cannot reasonably reach a preferred provider. Additionally, this act protects patients with coverage through an HMO from balance billing when patients receive emergency services.

When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have the following protections:

You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network providers and facilities directly.

Your health plan generally must:

Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (prior authorization).

Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.

Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.

Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact:

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises for more information about your rights under federal law.

Good Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, healthcare providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate for medical items and services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment and hospital fees. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

Get More Information

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).