How the billing process works
You can expect the following steps for each session:
- A few days before your client's first session, we’ll verify their account has available funds by placing a temporary hold for your estimated session cost.
- After their session, we’ll cancel this hold and charge the payment method on file. For all future sessions, they won’t see any hold.
- Your client's insurer will review the claim. Although uncommon, their insurer may adjust the final cost based on plan details, like whether they've met their deductible.
- If your client was overcharged, we’ll refund them the difference. If they were undercharged, we’ll send them an email with a link to review a second bill.
How we estimate session costs
Your client's session cost is our best estimate for how much they'll pay, based on what we know today about their insurance plan’s benefits and their provider’s typical services.
We do our best to get this estimate right—based on our relationships with insurance companies and experience with hundreds of different plan types. The final cost usually matches or comes close to this number.
Why session costs may have changed
Occasionally, the final session cost will differ from our estimated cost. This is because there’s certain information we can’t know for sure—based on the way insurance claims get processed—until after clients have attended their session.
A few common examples (click on each to expand and learn more):
In a given year, plans usually require clients to pay a set amount of money themselves before reaching a deductible or out-of-pocket max (dollar amount thresholds). We don’t always have immediate visibility into whether clients have reached these thresholds, and sometimes our estimate is wrong as a result.
While we’re familiar with most insurance plans, some involve special circumstances, such as different coverages between an umbrella and subsidiary company. Sometimes, these details are not initially clear until we get final information from the client's insurer.
How to know your client's session cost has changed
If your client's session cost changes for any reason, they will see this displayed in their account.
If their session cost changes as a result of Headway correcting previously incorrect benefit information, you and your client will receive an email from us with additional details.
Resolving an outstanding balance
Within the email your client received, there should be a button that says "pay now". Clicking this button will take them to their past appointments page. From there, they can click the "pay now" button to resolve their outstanding balance with us.
Refunds due to session cost change
Your client will receive a confirmation email as soon as their refund(s) are processed, which will include session information and refund amount. Once initiated, refund(s) will be reflected on their statement within 3-5 business days.
If they received an email, but did not receive a refund after 5 business days of receipt, please contact us.
Talking to your clients about cost changes
Click on the client concern below to find verbal, email, and text explanations to share with your client.
| Verbal explanation | Email explanation | Text explanation |
|
I totally understand the If this ever doesn’t feel workable, we can talk about private pay or I can help refer you to someone who may fit your insurance needs. |
Hi [Name], I wanted to clarify your Nothing about your care changed — this is just how your benefits are applying right now. If helpful, we can review your benefits together. And if using insurance no longer feels like the best fit financially, we can discuss private pay options or I can help refer you to another provider aligned with your insurance. |
Insurance determines session costs, so deductibles or plan details can change what you pay. Happy to review together – and we can always discuss private pay or referrals if helpful. |
| Verbal explanation | Email explanation | Text explanation |
| Totally understandable. Insurance costs can fluctuate. Sometimes higher upfront costs actually help clients reach their deductible faster so insurance kicks in sooner — but if it still feels like too much, we can explore private pay or referrals. |
Hi [Name], I know insurance costs can sometimes feel unpredictable depending on deductibles or coverage. One thing some clients find helpful is that paying more upfront can help them meet their deductible sooner, which often means insurance covers more later in the year. That said, if insurance billing doesn’t feel like the best fit financially, we can discuss private pay options or I can help refer you to another provider aligned with your insurance. Just let me know what feels best. |
Insurance costs can fluctuate. Sometimes higher upfront costs help reach deductibles faster — but we can always discuss private pay or referrals if helpful. |
| Verbal explanation | Email explanation | Text explanation |
| It depends on your deductible progress. Often once it’s met, insurance covers more of each session. Some clients actually prefer getting there sooner so costs stabilize. |
Hi [Name], Session costs sometimes change depending on deductible progress or plan structure. Many clients see costs decrease once their deductible is met because insurance starts covering more of each session. Some even find it helpful to reach that point earlier in the year. If costs still feel challenging, we can talk about private pay options or I can help refer you to another provider aligned with your insurance. |
Costs often drop once deductibles are met. Some clients prefer reaching that point sooner — but we can always discuss private pay too (if applicable). |
| Verbal explanation | Email explanation | Text explanation |
|
Great question – first, I'm going to submit a manual verification request so the billing team can double-check everything directly with your insurance company. That helps confirm the estimate is accurate. If it turns out that really is your cost, we have a few options: we can continue using insurance, switch to private pay if you’d prefer predictable costs, or I can help refer you to another therapist on Headway who may be a better financial fit. We’ll figure out what feels best for you. |
Hi [Name], Thanks for asking about next steps. To make sure everything is accurate, I’m going to submit a manual verification request so the team can confirm your benefits directly with your insurance company. Sometimes estimates shift slightly once insurance is re-confirmed. If the cost ends up being accurate, we have a few options: we can continue using insurance, switch to private pay if you’d prefer more predictable costs, or I can help refer you to another Headway therapist who may better match your insurance coverage or budget. I’m happy to talk through whichever option feels best — just let me know. |
Good question — I’m submitting a manual insurance verification so we can confirm everything with your insurer. If that ends up being the cost, we can keep using insurance, switch to private pay, or I can help refer you to another therapist. Happy to talk anytime. |