Claiming Mental Health Treatment with ahm

If you have ahm health insurance, you may ask yourself "how do I claim mental health services from ahm". Here at Talked, we hope you find the right ahm therapists for you so that you can claim your ahm benefits. Claiming mental health services from ahm is easy. In this article, we help you to claim counselling or therapy rebates. Make sure that you maximize your ahm benefits and claim your mental health benefits today.

Table of contents

• Who should I see?

• Does ahm cover mental health?

• What ahm policies covers psychology and counselling?

• How much is the ahm psychology claim?

• How to claim mental health rebates from ahm?

• Does ahm cover online therapy?

• When do I need to make an ahm claim?

• Can I claim a psychologist fee on ahm and Medicare?

• Where can I find ahm approved therapists?

• How to easily claim ahm mental health rebates with Talked

Who should I see?

There are different types of mental health professionals. ahm approves of psychologists, counsellors, and psychotherapists who are all trained to help with your mental health issues. If you are unsure what the difference is between all these types of therapists, check out our blog post explaining the distinctions.

When deciding on which therapist to see you must ensure they are an ahm recognised therapist - we've made it easy for you to see all the ahm therapists who are available right now.

Please note that before claiming your psychology sessions with ahm, you will need to check whether psychology sessions are covered under your extras cover. You can check this by logging into your ahm account.

Does ahm cover mental health?

In order to claim your ahm therapy session, the therapist must be an approved ahm therapist who meets the strict ahm criteria. ahm makes it clear that mental health services can only be used for consultations with an approved psychologist or an ahm recognised counsellor.

If you book a therapist who is not approved by ahm you will not be able to claim the cost back, even if you are covered for the service.

We have made it easy for you to see an ahm recognised counsellor or therapist. If you book with one of these therapists you will be able to claim the cost back.

In addition to choosing an approved therapist, you must also check that your ahm cover includes mental health services. ahm covers pay towards the cost of psychology, counselling and psychiatry as well as online therapy. Use the link below to log in to your ahm account and check.

Check my ahm cover

What ahm policies covers psychology and counselling?

If you are still unsure whether your ahm health insurance policy covers psychology, do not stress as we can help. ahm states in their article "Health insurance for mental health explained" that ahm's extras covers counselling, psychology, hospital psychiatric services, stress management and hypnotherapy.

As of the date of this article, of the 9 extras cover options available at ahm, only 5 cover psychology and counselling. These extras policies are:

• Value Extras

• Lifestyle Extras

• Family Extras

• Black 70 Boost

• Super Extras

Unfortunately, if you have any of the below cover, you are not eligible for a psychology or counselling rebate with ahm:

• Black 50 Saver

• Choosable 50 - Teeth

• Black 60

• Black 70

When looking for ahm extras cover for psychology rebates, it's essential to check that the policy details include "Psychology." If your policy supports ahm psychology rebates, it's equally important to understand the amount covered under the annual limit.

You can read more about ahm's extra's policies and what they cover on their extras cover page.

How much is the ahm psychology claim?

The amount you can claim back through your ahm extras cover depends on the specifics of your policy. We strongly recommend reviewing the full disclosure PDF of your cover to understand how your policy works by logging into your ahm account.

When choosing your ahm extras cover, we recommend you look at the following:

Waiting Period – Most health insurers extras policies typically include a waiting period to access their benefits. This is a specified duration during which you are not eligible for benefits from ahm for any treatments received. However, unlike many health insurers, ahm has no waiting period before members can claim psychology or counselling rebates. If you're thinking of joining ahm for the purpose of accessing mental health rebates, this could be a strong incentive to start with them.

Limit Per Person – The Limit Per Person is the maximum amount that can be claimed by an individual under their ahm extras policy. This amount varies between plans and the duration that you are on that plan. For instance:

• under the Value Extras cover, the limit per person is $100

• under the Lifestyle Extras cover, the limit per person is $250 for under 5 years, increasing up to $325 after 20 years

• under the Family Extras, the limit per person is $250 for under 5 years, increasing up to $325 after 20 years

• under the Black 70 Boost, the limit per person is $250

• under the Super Extras, the limit per person is $300

Limit Per Family – The Limit Per Family is the maximum amount that a family can claim under a policy. This amount claimable varies between plans and the duration that you are on that plan for example:

• under the Value Extras cover, the limit per family is $200

• under the Lifestyle Extras cover, the limit per family is $500 for under 5 years, increasing up to $650 after 20 years

• under the Black 70 Boost, the limit per family is $500

Initial and Subsequent Sessions – ahm categorises its coverage for psychology sessions into two types: initial consult and subsequent consult. The amount covered for each category varies depending on the policy and the type of consultation.

The table below provides detailed information on the coverage amounts under ahm's current extras policies, as of the time of this guide.

You can find more information about ahm's extras policies and their coverage details on their extras cover page.

How to claim mental health rebates from ahm?

You will be required to pay upfront when you see your ahm approved therapist. After your session, Talked will provide you with an invoice you can then use to submit a claim to ahm.

If you book a psychologist or counsellor through the Talked platform then you'll simply be able to log in to your account and download the invoice. The invoice will be automatically populated with the exact information ahm requires for a claim to be submitted.

There are 2 ways that ahm members can make their psychology or counselling claim after speaking with a Talked therapist.

1. Use the ahm mobile app

To make a claim through ahm mobile app, you will need to follow the following steps:

1. Log in to the AHM mobile app and go to the 'Claims' tab. Have your receipt ready.

2. Select 'Start claim'. If you haven't used the app for over 10 minutes, you may need to re-authenticate with your password or Touch ID/Face ID.

3. If your policy covers multiple people, select the person who received the service.

4. Enter the service details, provider name or number, and claim information, including the date of service, item number, and amount paid.

Download the ahm mobile app for iPhone or Android.

2. Online

If you do not have the mobile app, you can log into your account through the web. The steps to submit the claim are:

1. Log in to your ahm account and navigate to 'Make a claim'. Ensure you have your receipt ready.

2. Select the service you want to claim from the list and click 'Start claim'.

3. Enter the provider name or number, the person who received the service, the date of the service, the item number, and the amount paid.

Lastly, we'd like to mention that if you're not seeing a psychologist through Talked and are visiting your psychologist in person, you may be able to swipe your membership card at the psychologist's HICAPS machine. This way, you only need to pay the difference between the psychologist's fee and the ahm coverage.

Does ahm cover online therapy?

Telehealth or online therapy is one of the easiest ways to access mental health services. Your health insurer ahm recognises that for many of its clients, online therapy provides a lot of help and support for people who may not have had access to such services.

It is important to check what mental health services are covered under your extras. You can check this in your ahm account.

When do I need to make an ahm claim?

To secure your psychology or counselling rebate from ahm, we recommend that all members submit their claim immediately after their session. However, if you don't submit the claim right away, ahm allows claims to be submitted up to two years from the date of your psychology or counselling session. Please note that this policy is subject to change, so it's important to verify that it still applies.

Similarly, Medicare allows claims for rebates to be submitted within two years of the session. Unlike ahm, at Talked, we can submit and process Medicare rebates on your behalf. Learn more on our Medicare page.

Can I claim a psychologist fee on ahm and Medicare?

You can not claim the full cost back on both Medicare and ahm. No ahm policy allows you to claim from both. If you see a psychologist you must decide whether you claim the cost mainly through Medicare or ahm.

If you are eligible for Medicare, your psychologist may still charge a gap fee. Once you have claimed all your Medicare rebates, you may use your ahm private health insurance to claim for any further sessions, subject to your level of cover.

If you wish to use the Medicare rebate to see a psychologist, you must talk with your GP and get your Mental Health Treatment Plan and referral. The process can be a bit confusing, but we've made it simple with our guide to booking your first Medicare appointment. Once you are ready to obtain your Mental Health Treatment plan but do not have a regular GP, you can speak with our bulk billed GP partner and claim the Medicare rebate for psychology sessions.

Where can I find ahm approved therapists?

We've made it super easy for you to find and connect with an ahm approved therapist online. You can browse our list of ahm approved therapists, book a session and connect with them. Therapists on Talked offer video therapy, in-person therapy or text.

How to easily claim ahm mental health rebates with Talked

We hope that you maximize your ahm benefits and claim your mental health benefits today. Mental health is important and ahm is there to support you.

Talked simplifies the process of claiming ahm psychology rebates from an ahm approved psychologist to just a button click. Following your session, you will receive an invoice with all the necessary details to claim your rebate.

Not with ahm? Don't worry, we have your back. After you see your therapist, claim your mental health rebate from Bupa, Medibank, Police Health, CUA Health, Doctors Health, nib, HBF, HCF, CBHS Health, Australian Unity, GMHBA, Peoplecare, Westfund and many more private health insurers.