How fees work

I am out of network with health plans, so I don't bill your plan. Some plans with an acupuncture benefit pay part of the fee back to you, and I give you what you need to ask.

You pay at the end of the visit by card. The fee depends on the length of the visit and what we do, and I tell you before your first visit, not after. A few reduced-fee spots are held each month for women for whom the usual fee is a stretch. Ask when you book.

After each visit I email an itemized receipt, called a superbill, that you can send to your plan. Whether it pays you back is the plan's decision.

I give a written estimate in advance to anyone paying without insurance. Ask for it when you book and I email it before your first visit. Under federal law, if a bill comes in $400 or more above that estimate, you can dispute it.

Plans differ and change each year. Before you come, ask your plan the four questions above and tell me what it said. If an answer surprises you, call me and we will go through it together.

About 75 minutes in the evening. We talk about your nights, your days and what you take. I check your pulse and your tongue, place fine needles, and you rest under a blanket with the lamp low. I explain the risks before any needle goes in. The fee for the first visit is on your written estimate.