Is Betterhelp Covered By Aetna?(A Complete Guide)

This article will answer the question of whether Betterhelp’s services are covered by aetna and whether using such a health plan is actually beneficial. The article will also outline Bettehelp’s services and subscription packages as well as explain Betteherhelp’s stance of financing costs for its services. The purpose is to help the audience develop an in-depth understanding of the topic and whether one should opt for plans like insurance for services like those of Betterhelp.

Is Betterhelp Covered By Aetna?

Betterhelp can be covered by Aetna because Aetna recognizes telehealth services and strives to make them more affordable by not only offering a network of service providers but by linking individuals to them – they believe mental health deserves the same status as physical health.

However, Aetna is an insurance health plan and the company Betterhelp discourages the use of such plans for a number of reasons such as:

• Health insurance plans have partial or limited coverage so it really isn’t useful. Most of the time they do not fully cover the costs and one ends up doing much paperwork to get very little benefit. On top of that you need to finance the insurance as well somehow.

• In the case that your health insurance plan covers all costs of the services, the co-pay of insurance may be higher than the entire cost of Betterhelp’s services – this is due to the generally low cost services of Betterhelp due to it’s online nature and ease of accessibility for all. So, it is better not to avail insurance because you may end up paying way more to get the insurance compared to the actual costs of the services.

• Clients at Betterhelp may not be able to use insurance because insurance companies often require that the diagnosis of a patient and their future treatment plans are sent to them. However, at Betterhelp service providers are not allowed to diagnose patients for a number of reasons. The service providers are also not allowed to prescribe drugs. As said before, insurance companies require some sort of documentation or proof that a person is indeed eligible for insurance.

Although, in the case of Aetna it may be easier convincing the service provider that a certain service at Betterhelp is eligible for health insurance, the bottomline is that the cost of health insurance may indeed exceed the total cost the service a client avails at the online mental health platform.

Let us take a look at the services Betterhelp offers and the costs these services are available at so the audience has a better understanding of what is being discussed here!

Betterhelp – What It Offers!

In this section we will look at not only the services offered here but also the cost of these services! The section will also identify additional services of benefits of using this platform!

Services Available At Betterhelp

How does Betterhelp reach out to its clients? Let us take as look at the following to find out:

• Chatrooms: These are open 24/7 and you can drop a message any time you feel like doing so. However, your counselor will only get back to you once they have the time or chance to. Usually people like dropping questions they want opinions on from their counselor and don’t mind waiting a bit.

• Live Chatting Sessions: here you can chat with your counselor in real time and there really is no limit on the number of messages exchanged or time spent talking here. It depends on the needs of the client and the nature of the problem.

• Live Phone Calls: Kind of like Skype this platform has their own system set up where you can have audio sessions with your service provider. It does not show your contact details to the counselor for reasons of privacy and in case the counselor and counselee become direct. 

• Video Sessions: clients who are more comfortable or want a more personalized experience can also opt for video sessions. Like other mediums of interaction, there is no limit on these although people mostly hold the opinion that 1 or 2 sessions per week are sufficient.

The Cost Of Services At Betterhelp

This company offers different subscription packages that affect the amount of money you need to pay them at the end of the month. The details are given below for each subscription offer:

• Weekly Plan: It costs $80/week where you subscribe to their services for a week only and can avail whatever and how many sessions you need. In case you subscribe every week, you will have to pay $320 at the end of the month.

• Monthly Plan: It costs a total of $260 per month which breaks down to $60/week. The client is billed monthly as well – this is pretty straightforward

• Quarterly Plan: This plan costs a total of $540 but the weekly costs breaks down into $45 a week only because of the longer subscription availed by the client. At the end of the each month the client must pay $180

• Annual Plan: For clients who need long term services, they can pay $1820 which results in only $35 per week which is extremely cheap. At the end of each month the client is liable to pay $140 only which is the cheapest option.

Additional Benefits

In this section, we will briefly look at other services the mental health platform provides access to!

Here are some of the benefits of services available to clients:

• Unlimited Sessions: Apart from the services you get at Betterhelp, one benefit is that you can avail unlimited sessions during your subscription package which makes it easier for you to ensure your needs are met without worrying about additional finances.

• Monthly Subscriptions: The company offers monthly subscriptions; you do not have to pay for each session as this greatly raises the cost especially if you don’t know how many sessions you need or if you need too many! Furthermore, the service can be availed for less than a month too but billing is always done on a monthly basis.

• Anonymity: You do not have to reveal your true identity to your counselor; this seems like a relief especially if you have a number of unpleasant details you need to share with them. However, your real information is required to verify payment details.

• Selecting A Service Provider: Although you are matched with a service provider, you can always change one easily or choose one yourself.

• Digital Worksheets: You can be assigned digital worksheets from a collection of 150+ by your counselor. This makes the sessions interactive, long lasting in terms of effects and gives you some sort of guidance and support even when your counselor is not there.

Like their services? Sign up today by clicking here!

If Not Insurance Then What?

You can always use financial aid! This is an option Betterhelp provides to individuals who are not in a position to avail mental health services due to financial limitations. This financial aid can reduce your counseling fees from $280 to as low as $216 but applies to people based on their financial status and income. 

You can avail this when you are signing up as a client. Make sure to show that you are in need of financial assistance especially when the website asks about your employment status, financial status and income.

Although Betterhelp claims it’s services are quite affordable, the company still realizes that many individuals are suffering from tough financial situations and thus offers this option that makes a huge difference. It believes in making mental health care affordable to people across the world in an efficient and effective manner.

What Is Aetna?

This is an American company that sells a range of services dedicated to providing insurance related plans to consumers as well as a wide range of services related to medical, pharmaceutical, dental and vision health. It recognizes mental health as well as telehealth services and caters to such needs as well.

The company is based in Hartford, Connecticut, United States and is currently led by the CEO Mark Bertolini. The company also provides employee benefits programs!

Conclusion

This article explored the topic of whether Aetna can be used to cover the cost of Betterhelp’s services and whether it would be a good idea. Furthermore, the article also looked at the stance of Betterhelp on this and what they recommend. To help create a holistic understanding, the article also provided information on Betterhelp’s services and the cost associated with them.

References

https://www.aetna.com/individuals-families.html