Price of Counseling in NYC
During one of the biggest mental health and unemployment crises in modern history, the average cost of a 9-month course of therapy in New York City is $7,500. Consumers, many of whom already often pay for sessions via credit card, are now more likely to incur debt in order to cover the costs of their mental health care. Nirvana Health is partnering with RIP Medical Debt to help eliminate patient health care debt.
The cost of mental health care is a significant, yet often overlooked, a contributor to peoples’ medical debt. The average therapy session in New York City costs $194, according to Nirvana Health’s internal data on over 5,500 clinicians. For the 9.6% of New Yorkers without insurance coverage, a typical 9-month treatment plan would cost roughly $7,500 before tax. For scale, that means treatment in New York City can eat up 12% of the median household income, and cost three times the median monthly rent for a studio apartment.
For those lucky enough to have an insurance plan that covers a portion of mental health care, benefits may not kick in until after they hit their deductible, which can take months and cost thousands of dollars out of pocket. The average deductible of plans reviewed by Nirvana Health is $2,200, but the plans with the most affordable monthly premiums on the New York state insurance marketplace have deductibles over $4,000.
