FEES, INSURANCE AND PAYMENT INFORMATION

• My standard fee is $100-125. per session, depending upon the type of session (e.g. individual, couples, family, EMDR), and session length. Typical session length is 50 minutes. Fees are due at the time of service. For your convenience, I accept cash, personal check or debit/credit cards, including Health Savings Account cards.
• Vanessa E. Ford is a Blue Cross / Blue Shield, Cigna, Aetna, Magellan, and PHCS PPO provider. If you do not have mental health benefits with these companies, please don’t hesitate to call Ms. Ford to discuss your benefits. She may have added other companies since her most recent website revision. She has also helped clients get out-of-network reimbursement, for example with United Behavioral Health. She can bill BC/BS regardless of whether your plan is an Illinois plan or out-of-State. She can also supply you with a receipt or statement for reimbursement through your Health Savings Plan, or bill that plan directly if it is structured as a checkbook or credit card.
• A sliding fee scale may be extended to you if you can show financial hardship
• 24 hours notice of cancellation is required for all scheduled sessions. Less than 24 hours notice of cancellation will result in being billed for the service scheduled.
• To look up your benefits, click these links:

  Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Illinois
  
  Cigna Health Care
  
  Cigna Behavioral Health
  
  Private Health Care System
  
  Aetna
  
  United Behavioral Health
  
  Magellan

• Why You May Not Want To Access Your Insurance Carrier For Psychotherapy
  In some cases, you may not wish to access your insurance carrier and may opt to pay out-of-pocket for therapy services. The reason for this is that all insurance carriers require psychotherapists to list diagnostic codes in order to get reimbursement. What this means to you is that if you are seeking treatment for a psychological issue or substance abuse problem, this diagnosis becomes a part of your health care record and may be treated as a “pre-existing condition” in the future.
  
  Downloadable insurance information sheet