Does Laura Bass take insurance?
Yes. Laura Bass is in network with the following insurers. The list applies to her practice as a whole, including the part-time office at The Healing Cottage in Columbus:
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- United Healthcare
- United Behavioral Health
- MedCost
- Magellan
- Carelon Behavioral Health (formerly Beacon Health Options)
- CBHA
- Medicare
In network is a starting point, not an answer
Insurance companies sell many plans under one name, and benefits for outpatient mental health vary between them. Two people with cards from the same insurer can owe different amounts for the same session. That is why the honest advice is the same everywhere: confirm your own benefits before the first appointment. Laura does not publish fees on this site, so if you have a question about cost, ask her directly through the contact page.
Questions to ask your insurer before a first session
Call the member services number on the back of your card. It helps to have a pen ready, and to note the date and the name of the person you speak to. Useful questions:
- Is Laura Bass Counseling in network for my specific plan?
- What are my outpatient mental health benefits, and is there a separate behavioral health company that manages them?
- Have I met my deductible this year, and what is my copay or coinsurance per visit?
- Do I need a referral or prior authorization for outpatient counseling?
- Is couples counseling covered under my plan, and on what terms?
- Does it matter that the office is in Columbus, North Carolina, if I live in South Carolina?
A note on couples counseling
Plans differ a good deal on couples work. Some cover it under certain conditions, some do not. Ask the question plainly and ask how the plan would want it billed, then raise what you learn with Laura. Couples counseling describes the work itself, and the Tryon and Polk County couples page puts it in a local setting.
How does Medicare cover counseling?
This matters a great deal in Polk County. At the 2020 Census, almost a third of the county's residents, 31.9%, were 65 or older, and the median age was 53.8. In Tryon itself the share aged 65 and older was 39.6%.
Medicare.gov says Medicare Part B covers a wide range of outpatient mental health services, often called counseling or psychotherapy, individually, in groups or in family settings. Its list of provider types includes clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors, among others. After you meet the Part B deductible, Medicare says you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for visits to diagnose or treat a condition.
If you have a Medicare Advantage plan or a supplement, the details can be different, so call the plan and ask the same questions as above. The counseling for retirees in Tryon page talks about the kinds of things people in retirement bring to therapy.
If you have NC Medicaid or no insurance
North Carolina's public system for mental health and substance use services is run through regional organizations the state calls LME/MCOs. The NC Department of Health and Human Services lists Vaya Health as the LME/MCO for Polk County. Vaya is not a clinic; it manages services and connects people with provider agencies.
Vaya's Member and Recipient Service Line is 1-800-962-9003, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and its Behavioral Health Crisis Line, 1-800-849-6127, is answered 24 hours a day. Vaya lists Blue Ridge Health at 161 Walker Street in Columbus as Polk County's walk-in center, open regular weekday business hours with same-day assessments and no appointment, at 828-894-2222.
Laura's approved insurance list does not include NC Medicaid, so if Medicaid is your coverage, Vaya is the right first call.
On the South Carolina side
If you live in Landrum, Campobello, Inman or Gowensville, the same advice applies to a commercial plan or Medicare: call your insurer and ask about a provider whose office is in North Carolina. Laura is licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina, so the license itself is not the obstacle. Network rules are the thing to check.
For public services in South Carolina, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD) runs community mental health centers. The Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center, which serves Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties, is at 864-585-0366, and the Greater Greenville Mental Health Center is at 864-241-1040. More on crossing the line is in seeing a therapist near Landrum, SC.
How to start
Once you know your benefits, call Laura at 704-706-3264 or use the contact page. Mention your insurer and plan, which town you live in, and whether you are thinking about individual counseling or couples work. Because the Columbus office is part-time, ask which days Laura is there, and ask whether video sessions are an option for you.
The Tryon counseling guide brings together everything else about getting counseling in the foothills, including what to expect at the Healing Cottage.
Common questions
Does Laura Bass accept Medicare?
Yes. Medicare is on Laura's list of insurers she is in network with. Medicare.gov says Part B covers outpatient counseling and psychotherapy with several types of licensed providers, and that after the Part B deductible you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan or a supplement, call the plan to check how it applies.
Does Laura take Blue Cross Blue Shield?
Laura is in network with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Blue Cross companies issue many different plans, and South Carolina residents often have a South Carolina Blue Cross plan, so call the number on your card and ask whether Laura Bass Counseling is in network for your plan before your first session.
What does a session cost?
This site does not publish fees. What you pay with insurance depends on your plan's deductible, copay and coinsurance, which your insurer can tell you. If you are thinking about paying for yourself, or want to understand costs before booking, ask Laura directly through the contact page. It is a reasonable question to ask any therapist before a first appointment.
Where do I go in Polk County if I have Medicaid?
Start with Vaya Health, which the NC Department of Health and Human Services lists as the LME/MCO for Polk County. Its Member and Recipient Service Line is 1-800-962-9003. Vaya lists Blue Ridge Health in Columbus, at 828-894-2222, as the county's walk-in center for same-day assessments on weekdays.