Fees, Policies, and Insurance

Session Fees

Individual therapy: $275 per 45-minute session
Couples therapy: $325 per 45-minute session

Most clients meet once or twice weekly. For individual clients meeting three or more times a week, I offer a reduced fee. I also keep a small number of reduced-fee places; please ask if cost is a concern.

Payment

Payment is due at each session, by check, cash, Venmo, or Zelle. Credit cards are also accepted with a $10 surcharge for each transaction.

Insurance and Out-of-Network Reimbursement

I don’t accept insurance directly, but many clients use their out-of-network benefits to recover part of the cost. After each session I provide a superbill, a receipt with the diagnostic and billing codes your insurer requires, which you submit for reimbursement.

Insurers usually reimburse a percentage of what they consider the “allowed amount” for a service, which is often lower than my fee, so what you receive back can vary considerably. Before we begin, I’d encourage you to call your insurer and ask:

• Do I have out-of-network outpatient mental health benefits?
• What is my out-of-network deductible, and how much of it have I met this year?
• What is the allowed amount for CPT code 90834 (individual psychotherapy, 45 minutes), or 90847 for couples therapy?
• What percentage of the allowed amount will I be reimbursed?
  
  

Coverage for couples therapy is less consistent than for individual therapy, so this call is especially worthwhile if that’s the work you’re considering.

Cancellation Policy

Consistency is an important part of the therapeutic process, and a reliable session frame supports the work we do together. With prior notice, you may cancel up to four sessions in a calendar year without charge, and any session we reschedule within the same week doesn’t count toward that limit. Beyond those four, cancellations that can’t be rescheduled, for any reason, including work or vacations, are charged at the full session fee, as are sessions missed without notice. Insurers do not reimburse charges for missed or cancelled sessions.

Holidays and Weather

Sessions are not held on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. The office stays open when the federal government closes for weather, unless I let you know otherwise.

Provider

All services are provided by Dr. Daniel Jonathan Meckel, a licensed psychotherapist and psychoanalyst in Annapolis, Maryland. Sessions are held in person unless otherwise arranged.

Your Right to a Good Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill 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.
• Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
• 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.
  
  

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.