If your child needs speech and language or listening and spoken language therapy, you’ve probably been told about early intervention (sometimes called Birth to 3) or school-based services. You may have had IFSP or IEP meetings where you tried to convince your team that your child needs more services. But did you know that your child may be able to get medically necessary speech and language services through your medical insurance plan as well?

Some school districts won’t tell you this, simply because they’re afraid if they mention it, then they’re obligated to pay for it. Honestly, when I used to be a school-based SLP, I didn’t even know health insurance might cover therapy until a hospital therapist told me.

In order for a medical insurance plan to cover services, the services need to be medically necessary. That can mean lots of different things, depending on your child’s condition, and of course, your coverage and the terms of your plan.

If you haven’t done it yet, check with your insurance plan and find out what your coverage is for speech and language therapy services. You can ask specific questions like what conditions are covered, how many sessions your plan allows, and how to find out which speech language pathologists are covered.