Insurance FAQs

We know insurance can be confusing and complicated.

At G&STC, we strive to make our care as accessible as possible. We are in-network with Healthfirst and Aetna, or you may be able to use your out-of-network benefits! 

Prior to a consultation and session, our reception and billing team will reach out to your insurance company to receive an estimated quote of your benefits, and will provide your in-network, or out-of-network coverage estimate to make sure that you understand the quoted coverage and cost per session.

We’ve done our best to provide helpful information below. However, we can only provide estimates of expected costs. We estimate as precisely as possible based on the information your insurance company shares with us, but the best way to get accurate information is to reach out to your insurance provider directly. Most insurance member ID cards have a customer service phone number on the back.

  • We do! We are in-network with Healthfirst and Aetna! We are not in-network with any other insurances or EAPs at this time.

    We are considered out-of-network (OON) providers by most commercial insurance companies. Many insurance plans have out-of-network benefits that will typically reimburse between 50% to 80% of session costs after your deductible is met. Most Medicaid plans do not currently offer OON benefits.

    Prior to a consultation and session, our reception and billing team will verify your benefits, explain your in-network or out-of-network coverage and make sure that you understand your benefits and cost per session.

    After sessions, our billing team will file claims if you’re in-network and can file your claims for you or can provide documentation and support for you to submit to your insurance or if you’re out-of-network. In some cases, we can accept payment directly from your insurance and in other cases, session payments are made in full at the time of the session and insurance reimbursement for covered sessions will be sent directly to you (this is dependent on the insurance).

    For more information about your in and out-of-network coverage, please fill out our secure scheduling form where you will be able to upload your insurance card. Our receptionist will check your benefits and get back to you to figure out a payment plan. You can also call us at (646) 797-4340 with any questions.

    Our goal is to reduce financial barriers and make this process as easy and accessible as possible for you!

    • Deductible: The amount you pay out of pocket before insurance starts sharing costs.

    • Copay: The flat rate you pay per session, with in-network insurance covering the rest. 

    • Coinsurance: the percentage of your session fee that you may be responsible for paying after your in-network deductible has been met.

    • In-Network: We are a part of your health plan’s network of approved providers. How much insurance will cover and what your copay will be is determined by your insurance provider and your specific plan. Typically a copay will range from $0-75.

    • Out-of-Network: We are not a part of your health plan’s network of approved providers. However, your insurance may reimburse you for your expenses.

    Referral: You may need another health care provider to refer you to our practice for insurance to cover care.

  • All of our G&STC Therapists accept Healthfirst! Most Healthfirst plans cover psychotherapy services.

    The exact details of your coverage will depend on your plan. Some may have a copay and/or a deductible. While most Healthfirst plans do not limit how many individual therapy sessions you can have in a year, some will have a 20 session limit for family and relationship therapy. 

    If you have a Healthfirst Medicaid plan, or a Healthfirst plan sponsored by New York State, you will receive all communication directly from New York State regarding any steps needed to maintain your insurance coverage with Healthfirst.

    You will receive these notices directly from New York State by email or through your online account with the state. They may require you to update or verify specific information such as your residency, income, job status, confirmation you do not have another active insurance plan outside of Healthfirst, or something additional that the state requires for you to be able to maintain coverage.

    These notices are only provided to you directly, and Healthfirst considers these tasks to be your responsibility to provide the information to New York State within their required timeframe. As a reminder, you could be responsible for the payment of any sessions not covered by insurance.

    We encourage you to frequently check to see if you have anything outstanding with New York State or Healthfirst to ensure your plan is active.

    Healthfirst communicates with the member first about any upcoming changes to the plan, and typically does not communicate with us until your plan has already ended.

    If you know your plan is going to end, change to another Healthfirst plan, or if you have received another insurance plan in addition to your current plan, please communicate this with our billing team as soon as possible.

    If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at billing@gstherapycenter.com.

  • All G&STC therapists accept commercial Aetna insurance! (Or if they’re new, in the onboarding process with Aetna)

    Most Aetna plans cover mental healthcare! In most cases, a referral or preauthorization is not required and there is no limit on the number of sessions you can have in a year. Typically copays range from $10-75. Some Aetna student plans may require a referral from the student health center to Aetna directly. 

    Please note that your coverage will depend on your exact plans and benefits. For specifics, please reach out to your insurance company.


    If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at billing@gstherapycenter.com.

  • Your insurance provider will be able to provide you with the most accurate information about your benefits. We’ve found it’s helpful to ask:

    • Does my plan cover outpatient mental health services?

    • Is my plan in-network or out-of-network?

    • Do I have a deductible?

    • Do I have a copay or a coinsurance?

    • Do I need to get prior authorization?

    • Is there a limit to my annual coverage?


    The easiest way to contact your insurance company is by calling. The back of your Member ID Card should have a customer service number to call.

  • Yes, you can! 

    Please be advised that your insurance will only cover one session per day. You cannot be seen for individual or relationship therapy on the same day as your group therapy sessions.

  • No problem! Please provide all of that information to our reception and billing team (depending on where you are in the process, such as a new client starting with us vs an existing client) so we can help ensure a proper coordination of benefits. 

    If you have more than one active insurance plan at the same time, even for a single day, please contact all your insurance plans to coordinate your benefits. Once you have completed this, kindly provide us with information on all your active insurance plans and the order in which your insurance provider advised you to utilize them.

  • If you’re an existing client, and have any questions about billing related matters, your insurance, etc, please reach out directly to our billing team at billing@gstherapycenter.com

    If you have an insurance change or a secondary insurance that you haven't told us about yet, please let us know right away so we can be sure to file according to insurance guidelines. 

Please see our Notice of Privacy Practices for more information.

Please see our Good Faith Estimate Notice for more information.