Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least one 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 scheduling an item or service.

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.

Due to the nature of psychotherapy, I cannot estimate the length of time for your particular treatment, as the course depends on individual circumstances and additional issues that may arise. If you ever wish to determine the total estimated cost for a year, you could multiply the fee per session by the number of anticipated sessions. For example, if you see me biweekly, you would multiply my session fee x 26 weeks to get a total annual estimated cost (not including missed sessions for illness, holidays, vacation, etc.).

If you receive a bill 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.