There may be a maximum sum of money available for your care in a year or over your lifetime. Often, therapists may be social workers, psychologists, or nurses, supervised by doctors. Benefit packages may be geared to emergency and acute care, providing for hospitalization and outpatient services. In response to a crisis, enrollees may be allowed limited care, such as 4 days in the hospital or 8 outpatient sessions. Sessions to monitor medications may be as short as 15 minutes.
Many plans ask enrollees to pay a fixed sum of money toward each bill.
The co-pay may be higher for mental health care than for other services. Ask about these costs. Sometimes, extensions of benefits are possible. Ask what can be done to continue services. Managed care companies seek to provide less expensive, less restrictive care.