Does Health Insurance Cover Marriage Counseling or Couples Therapy?

You’ve found the one that you want to spend the rest of your life with. At first, you were both on cloud 9 and were wearing rose-colored glasses. However, eventually, you fell off the cloud and removed the glasses, only to find that you were in some serious turmoil.

You love your other half, but relationships are hard work. There are lots of ups and downs, but when the downs seem to be happening more than the ups, you may be thinking about calling it quits. However, before you file divorce papers or divide your assets and go your separate ways, if you still love each other, you may be able to work it out.

Marriage counseling and couples therapy may be able to help get you and your husband/wife/partner back on the right track. Under the guidance of licensed and experienced counselors, you and your other half will undergo therapy. There are various types of therapies that you may be exposed to, depending on the type of program you enroll in. No matter what type of counseling you receive, the ultimate goal will be the same: to help you and your partner develop a greater appreciation and respect for one another so that you can ultimately strengthen your relationship and have a healthy, happy relationship moving forward.

The Cost of Marriage Counseling / Couples Therapy

If you and your other half have decided that you would like to try counseling or therapy, it’s likely that one of your first concerns is the cost. There are a variety of factors that will affect the total cost of this type of therapy. The type of counseling or therapy you receive; whether it’s one-on-one meetings, in a group setting, or a combination of the two, for example. Additionally, whether or not you will be going on a “retreat” so-to-speak, or if you will receive treatment at a therapist’s office or another nearby location over the course of several weeks. The length of therapy sessions and the overall amount of time you will receive counseling will also affect the cost.

Additionally, the location where you are receiving counseling or therapy will also likely impact the cost. For example, in some states, it can be presumed that marriage counseling and couples therapy is more expensive than it is in other states.

Insurance and Marriage Counseling / Couples Therapy

No matter what type of counseling or therapy you and your other half deice to receive, there’s no doubt that the cost can be exorbitant. In fact, the cost may be one of the biggest determining factors that will ultimately help you decide whether or not you do proceed.

You are probably wondering whether or not your health insurance will help to offset some of the cost. The answer, of course – like everything else related to health insurance – is it depends.

There are a number of factors that will determine whether or not your health insurance will pick up any of the tabs for your marriage counseling or couples therapy. These factors include:

• The company that carries your health insurance, as some companies do provide coverage and others do not.
• The type of plan you have; even if your health insurance company does offer coverage for counseling and therapy, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your specific plan will.
• What type of marriage counseling or couples therapy you are receiving. Your policy may only offer coverage for specific types of treatments.

If your health insurance does offer coverage for marriage counseling and couples therapy, there will likely be stipulations in place, just like any other service you receive. For example, you’ll probably have to meet your deductible before your insurance kicks in; furthermore, you’ll likely have to pay a copay.

How to Find Out If Your Policy Offers Coverage

The good news is that more health insurance companies are offering coverage for marriage counseling and couples therapy than ever before. To find out if your plan does cover counseling, your best bet is to contact your insurance company directly. You’ll want to find out the specifics of your policy. Make sure that you find out how much of the expense will be covered by your plan; also, ask what type of out-of-pocket expenses you will be responsible for.

Make sure that you ask for all of the details in writing. It’s important that you have a hard copy of your policy so that you can refer to it. Also don’t forget to find out if you have to see specific counselors or therapists, as the last thing you want to do is find out that you have to pay for all of the expense on your own because you received services from someone your insurance does not cover.