Why I’m Dropping Aetna as an Insurance Provider
After a great deal of consideration, I’ve made the difficult decision to stop accepting Aetna insurance in my counseling practice.
This decision was not made lightly. I care deeply about making therapy accessible while also maintaining a sustainable practice that allows me to provide thoughtful, high-quality care to my clients. Unfortunately, recent reimbursement changes from Aetna have made that increasingly difficult.
What Happened
Recently, Aetna informed providers that they would be significantly reducing reimbursement rates for 90837 therapy sessions — the billing code used for 53–60 minute psychotherapy appointments. Instead, they will be instead paying out for 45 minute sessions 90834.
In my case, reimbursement for these sessions is being reduced by more than 20%.
This essentially means my work will be exactly the same, but payment will be reduced.
A 90837 session is the highest level of standard outpatient psychotherapy care and is often used when clients are working through:
Trauma
Severe anxiety or depression
Crisis situations
Complex relationship or family dynamics
Emotional regulation difficulties
These sessions require more time, emotional energy, documentation, and clinical expertise. They also reduce the total number of clients a therapist can see in a day.
Yet despite the increased intensity and time commitment, Aetna has chosen to substantially reduce reimbursement for this work.
Why I’m Leaving Aetna
Because of these reimbursement changes, remaining in-network with Aetna is no longer financially sustainable for my practice.
I do not want to practice therapy in a rushed or transactional way. I want to continue offering clients the time, attention, and quality of care they deserve.
This decision was made carefully and thoughtfully. I remain committed to helping clients explore out-of-network reimbursement options and making the transition process as smooth as possible.
I sincerely appreciate the clients who have trusted me with their care, and I remain committed to providing compassionate and meaningful therapy moving forward.