Out-of-Network (OON)
Out-of-network, or OON, means a therapist is not contracted with your specific insurance plan. You can still see them: you pay directly, and if your plan includes out-of-network benefits, you submit a superbill for partial reimbursement, often a meaningful percentage of the fee after a deductible.
Whether OON makes sense comes down to arithmetic and fit. Plans with OON benefits commonly reimburse a percentage of each session after a separate deductible; a call to your insurer, asking specifically about outpatient mental health, out-of-network, gets you the numbers. The trade is a higher upfront cost for a wider choice of therapists.
The mechanics are simpler than they sound: pay, receive a superbill, submit it through your insurer’s portal. Our rates and insurance page covers the plans we take in-network and how we support OON clients.
Common questions
What questions should I ask my insurer about out-of-network therapy?
Four cover it: Do I have out-of-network benefits for outpatient mental health? What is the OON deductible and how much is met? What percentage do you reimburse per session? How do I submit claims? Write down the answers and the call reference number.
Why would anyone choose an out-of-network therapist?
Usually for a specific specialty, approach, or clinician fit that in-network options cannot match, or to start sooner. With decent OON benefits, the net cost difference is often smaller than people expect.
Related terms
Want to talk it through with a person?
A free 15-minute call is an easy way to ask how any of this applies to you.