 | With Health Insurance: 10%-50% Coinsurance |
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 | Without Health Insurance: $100-$250 Per Hour |
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| Speech therapy is used to address speech problems resulting from various issues in children and adults, including developmental delays, autism, birth defects affecting the face and mouth, cerebral palsy, stuttering, stroke, head injuries and brain tumors. | | |
| Typical costs: | - Speech therapy typically is covered by health insurance in certain cases. For example, most Aetna and Cigna policies cover short-term speech therapy needed due to injury or acute illness, but do not cover it for developmental delays. Many policies limit the total number of sessions. For patients covered by health insurance, typical out-of-pocket costs consist of coinsurance of 10%-50%.
- For patients not covered by health insurance, speech therapy typically costs $200 -$250 for an initial assessment, then about $100 to almost $250 per hour. For example, Garden City Hospital in Michigan charges $100 per session. ECS Therapy in Pennsylvania charges $200 for an initial assessment, then $65 per half-hour session -- or $130 per hour. Therapy Playground in North Carolina charges $100 for a half-hour session -- or $200 an hour. Brainworx in Texas charges $250 for an initial assessment, then $120 for a half-hour session -- or $240 an hour.
What should be included: | - In an initial assessment, a speech language pathologist -- often referred to as a speech therapist -- will evaluate speech, perform tests and formulate an individual treatment plan.
- In speech therapy sessions, the speech-language pathologist will use a variety of tools and methods designed to improve speech. Depending on the age and individual situation, these might include: using books or other tools to help stimulate language development, modeling and repetition of speech, showing the patient how to move the mouth to make certain sounds and having the patient do mouth and tongue exercises.
- KidsHealth.org has an overview of speech therapy.
Additional costs: | - Speech therapists sometimes recommend books, tools or activities to work on speech at home. These can cost less than $20 to $100 or more.
Discounts: | |
Shopping for speech therapy: | - A pediatrician, family doctor or school can provide a referral to a qualified speech-language pathologist. Or, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers a speech-language pathologist locator by state.
- A speech-language pathologist should have a master's degree from an accredited program. Speech-language pathologists are licensed at the state level, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers a state-by-state list of regulatory bodies and requirements. Speech-language pathologists also can choose to get certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
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Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician or pharmacist regarding medications or medical procedures.
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Article updated September 2011 |
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