There are benefits to choosing fee-for-service. One major benefit is full confidentiality. When using insurance, I am required to provide the insurance companies clinical information including your diagnosis, your symptoms, treatment plans/goals, and in some cases, though rare, copies of your entire record. Insurance companies will claim to keep your information confidential as they will have it entered into their files and databases. However, it is to be noted I have no control over how your information is handled once it is released to them. Therefore, I will provide only the necessary information requested and required for the insurance company to pay your benefits.

Another benefit is freedom to manage your own treatment. Insurance companies can assess whether clinical services are necessary. This can result in the insurance company determining how many sessions you will be allotted and therefore setting a limit to how often you can be seen. Fee-for-service allows you to utilize services as often as clinically needed without authorization, which could be denied in some cases. Additionally, you are free to receive the type of service that is most beneficial to you. For instance, if a family counseling session is required, some companies will not cover this type of treatment despite its clinical necessity.