Paying for an evaluation.

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If this doesn't seem like the appropriate forum to put this, please let me know as I wasn't sure which topic it seemed to relate to best.

I want to ask if anyone has experience paying for their evaluation/diagnosis. I posted another thread on here debating getting an evaluation and, after speaking to a councilor, I think it would be helpful to be officially diagnosed. After jumping through hoops my councilor and I finally found a place that seems appropriate. I spoke with their receptionist today and an initial consultation would cost $95 for 45 minutes, and the actual testing can be anything up to $3600. I asked if I could call back after thinking about it and she said they could have the doctor speak with me briefly after the weekend to see if she can determine the necessary tests without the actual consultation... still, up to $3600 is a lot of money.

I was concerned about trying to hide an insurance charge from my family (they are currently not in the loop regarding the situation), but it turns out they don't accept insurance. I'm 25 and other than the insurance (which goes away this year anyway) I pay for myself by working and through student loans (I'm currently in grad school) so I don't want to ask for handouts to pay for it either. It just seems unfair to pay so much when ultimately, nothing will really change and frankly, the answer may be "no, you're just odd."

I want to be evaluated. For my peace of mind and because I think it could help me learn how to adapt better (this all started because I was struggling in some of my classes), possibly through professional help. So I want to ask, have any of you had experience paying for testing? Are there any grants or other special resources for this kind of thing?

What country or state are you located?

The only advice I have is look into the marketplace (Obama Care). I just recently received great coverage for less than $50 monthly out of my pocket (I am the same age as you). The coverage is far superior to what my previous employer provided and for not much more.

I believe some colleges provide assistance, I would probably look there first (but they may want you to use your parent’s insurance first).

U.S.A. in New Jersey (I am a resident, if that would make any difference).

I've spoken to all of the University's resources. They actually have an autism program and were the ones that referred my councilor to the current place I'm looking at. Neither the university nor this current place take insurance. The coverage you got does sound good and I'll be sure to look into once I need my own plan, but since none of the places available to me take insurance I'm afraid it won't help here. : )

In the UK I got mine for £200 or £300 (can't remember which). I shopped around, some wanted to charge more than that. My diagnostician worked from home, which probably kept the price down. I've seen the prices they charge on the USA for health-related things, I gather one hospital wanted $25 for an aspirin UK providers can be pretty extortionate too, but hopefully not quite so bad yet.

I am in Germany and insurance completely covered the costs.

Jeri - I live in NJ and I was just re-evaluated by someone on my insurance plan. (I had an old evaluation from my collage days, but I lost it... actually, I burnt it and sent the ashes floating down a river, but that's a whole long, irrelevant story.)

The reason I was able to bill the insurance company is that I wanted the write up for my own piece of mind, and to use it to convince other care providers like a potential therapist that I wasn't just bullshitting. Also, on forums like this one, and in dealing with other autistics, I used to find in necessary to stay in the gray area with my language - telling them I was on the spectrum instead of just saying out that I'm autistic, too - and this had become a pain in the tush for me.

I have an Obamacare plan and it was covered. I had already met my out of pocket maximum, so it was entirely payed for by insurance. But if I didn't have other health problems, and I hadn't reached my maximum, it would have been hundreds of dollars instead of 4000. The reason why it was less was that he skipped some of the tests that were self-evident. For example, I have a graduate degree and relative ease with book-learning, so we skipped the very expensive IQ test in favor of just assuming I have at least average intelligence. It wouldn't have been enough if I was looking to receive disability payments, or accommodations in graduate school, but it was enough for my purposes. At first I was like, what the heck? This guy gave me a 1/2 assed evaluation. Because I am an aspergian, I do like my testing precise and thorough. But as I let it set in, I realized that he gave me exactly what I needed and didn't put me through tests I didn't really need at the time.

My only complaint is that his socks were garishly stripped. It was very distracting.

The evaluator's name is Steven Hertler. You can find his listing on psychologytoday.com.

If you'd like some help with Obamacare, send me a PM. Also, we've been thinking about putting together an autism support group here in NJ, so also let me know if you are into that. No promises as it isn't off the ground yet. But its in the works.

From the replies I'm getting my impression is that it's recommended I change the situation so I'm looking into places that take insurance? I guess that kinda seems obvious but I didn't really think of it like that since I currently have specific resources being introduced to me and I was hoping to learn how to work with them.

I would still like to know if anyone has had experiences getting funding outside of insurance. My issue isn't having insurance right now (like I said, I'm currently on a great family plan) but am looking for funding opportunities to help with places that don't take insurance. Though from the answers I'm starting to assume that's not a real thing. : (

@ToughDiamond, that doesn't sound too bad... hopefully the place I'm talking to will only require that much. : )

@somanyspoons, thank you for the tips and link! So you paid out of pocket for the actual evaluation and billed your insurance separately? And everything you said about your insurance plan was very helpful. I don't need help with insurance right now as I am currently still on a plan but I will keep that all in mind when I switch. : ) I didn't even think about being allowed to skip tests... I'll be sure to bring that up when talking to any new diagnosticians! I currently in grad school so I have tangible reason to believe I'm at least fairly intelligent ; ) ). I sympathize with the socks... that does sound very distracting. : ( And thanks for the support group information! I'm not really in a place where I could participate in something like that right now, but please share an update if it takes off as that might be something I'd like to consider in the future. : )

My assessment only cost $580 CAD which was for 4 appointments total. I certainly couldn't afford the more extensive testing for $3000+ but I got the official diagnosis that I needed anyway.

That's not bad at all! Did you do it through a larger organization or did you do it through a smaller business/individual?

The doctor I listed processed my insurance directly, so I never payed him.

Greetings. My evaluation/assessment/testing (whatever you want to call it) was about $3000 CAD. I have insurance, and I think the insurance covered some of it (I'm not sure, I didn't pay for it since I'm under 18). It was three sessions in total. The first one was three hours, and the last two were one and a half hours if I remember correctly. Mine was very thorough though, and looked for the majority of neurodevelopmental disorders. Normally, they cover all of the more common mental illnesses, but since I already was seeing a psychiatrist, they thought it was unnecessary because the psych evaluated me for them.

I suggest you find someone under your insurance because $3600 is a lot of money. Good luck finding a place to get an assessment done

It was through a private clinic that dealt soley with those on the autism spectrum. The interviews and assessments were not adminstered by a doctor, I forget her professional title but the assessments were reviewed by two neuropsychologists, one of which gave the official diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. I guess that setup helped keep the costs down since each appointment was an hour plus the assessor had a phone interview with my mother.