In-network with BCBS for outpatient therapy.
In-network for Blue Cross Blue Shield. In Oregon, most BCBS coverage is Regence under the hood. I bill Regence directly, you pay copay or coinsurance at the session.
Request a free 15-min consultation →Direct billing, no paperwork on your end.
In-network billing means I send the claim to your insurer directly. You pay your copay or coinsurance at the session, and the rest is handled between me and them.
Blue Cross Blue Shield is a federation of regional Blues plans rather than a single insurer. In Oregon, the local Blue Cross Blue Shield carrier is Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, so most clients who say 'I have BCBS' in Oregon actually have a Regence-administered plan. I'm in-network for Regence Oregon, which covers most BCBS-of-Oregon situations. For clients who have a non-Regence BCBS plan (most often because their employer is headquartered in a different state and uses that state's Blues administrator), the BlueCard reciprocity program usually still lets the claim route through Regence at in-network rates. I bill Regence directly under either arrangement. On the consult call we'd verify which specific BCBS arm your plan is under, because the answer affects how the claim routes on the back end.
If your specific BCBS plan turns out to be out-of-network with me, you have two options: pay the self-pay fee directly ($250 per fifty-minute session), or pay the self-pay fee and submit a superbill to BCBS for out-of-network reimbursement. Most out-of-network benefits cover a portion. Some cover most of it.
What you should actually expect.
What's specifically worth knowing about BCBS coverage before the first session.
Most BCBS-of-Oregon plans (which are Regence) have outpatient mental health copays in the $25-40 range or coinsurance 10-20% after deductible. The Federal Employees Program (FEP) Blue Cross plan splits into FEP Basic (which requires in-network providers, no out-of-network benefit) and FEP Standard (which has both in- and out-of-network benefits at different rates); most Oregon federal employees on FEP have generous outpatient mental health coverage either way. Telehealth is at parity. For out-of-state BCBS clients who moved to Oregon (or whose employer is HQ'd elsewhere), the BlueCard program connects your home-state plan to me at Regence's negotiated rate; you still pay the copay or coinsurance your home-state plan specifies. The most common out-of-state BCBS arms Oregon transplants carry are the Anthem-administered Blues (California, Colorado, Nevada, Indiana, and several others), which work through BlueCard the same way. Couples and family sessions are billed under standard outpatient psychotherapy codes with a clinical diagnosis.
For the full carrier list and the out-of-network superbill explanation, the insurance overview covers the broader practice context.
What to ask member services.
The cleanest verification before our first session is a five-minute call to BCBS member services. Here's the script that gets useful answers.
Call the member services number on the back of your card and ask these three questions:
- Is provider Gerry McNamara, LMFT (NPI available on request) in-network for outpatient mental health on my plan?
- What's my copay or coinsurance per session for CPT code 90834 (individual psychotherapy)? And for CPT 90847 if we're doing couples or family sessions?
- Has my deductible been met for the year? If not, how much is left, and does my plan have a separate behavioral-health deductible?
If anything they tell you doesn't line up with what I'm saying on the consult, that's a useful signal: we sort it out before the first session rather than after a surprise EOB.
Questions I get asked about BCBS.
My card says Blue Cross Blue Shield. Is that Regence?
For Oregon clients, almost always yes. Regence is the BCBS administrator in Oregon, and a card that says 'BCBS' issued through an Oregon employer or via the Oregon marketplace is functionally a Regence plan. I'm in-network for those. If your employer is headquartered out of state, your BCBS plan might be administered by a different Blues arm; we'd verify on the consult.I have BCBS Federal (FEP) as a federal employee. Are you in-network?
Yes. The Blue Cross Blue Shield FEP plan is one of the federal options I'm in-network for, and FEP usually has strong outpatient mental health coverage. The billing routes through Regence in Oregon and from there to the FEP program. Member services on the back of your card can verify your specific FEP tier.I moved to Oregon from another state and my BCBS plan is from there. Can I still see you?
Usually yes, via the BlueCard program. BlueCard lets out-of-state Blues clients access in-network rates through the local Blues plan (Regence in Oregon). You'd pay whatever copay or coinsurance your home plan specifies. The claim still routes through Regence on my side. We'd verify the specifics on the consult.Does BCBS cover couples therapy?
In my experience, yes, whether it's a Regence-administered Oregon BCBS plan or an out-of-state BCBS plan via BlueCard, billed under standard outpatient psychotherapy codes with a clinical diagnosis for one partner. Member services can verify your specific plan if you want certainty up front.
What I help with that BCBS covers.
Anxiety therapy
Practical, multi-modal anxiety therapy. Covered by BCBS the same way any standard outpatient mental health visit is.
Read moreDepression therapy
Depression therapy for adults who are tired of being tired and want to understand what's underneath.
Read moreCouples therapy
Gottman-trained couples therapy. Insurance coverage for couples depends on plan specifics, which we'd verify on the consult.
Read more
Ready to talk it through? Let's see if we're a fit.
Send a message, or set up a free 15-minute phone consult. You can reach me by email, call, or text. I'll get back to you within two business days.