Choose Your Sticker Shock: Upfront Cash‑Pay vs. Hidden Insurance Costs for PT

Over coffee recently, a close friend dropped a surprising confession:

“I ran a little experiment behind your back.”

Naturally, my ears perked up. “Tell me everything. Don’t hold back.” I said. After all, if he found some flaws, I wanted to be sure we fixed them, and I trusted him to be honest with me. 

His teenage kids (both high school athletes) needed physical therapy at the same time. So he decided to run a side-by-side comparison: 

• He sent one to a traditional in-network physical therapy clinic
• He sent the other to MovementX

Same family. Same household values. Similar injuries. Similar age kids. Two drastically different physical therapy experiences.

The only similarity was the total price. But, as my friend quickly pointed out, the difference came down to the outcomes and when you feel the sticker shock.

“With traditional PT, the pain hits months later when the bill arrives. With MovementX, it’s up front. Either way, you feel it. But at least yours is honest and immediate.”

I nodded, intrigued. “But who ends up being more expensive?”

He didn’t hesitate.

“The traditional model,” he replied, “In more ways than one.”

While I’ve always known this to be true, it’s rare to get such a clear and glaring example. 

As we dissected the story over coffee, it became clear that the difference between the two experiences his kids had could not have been more stark. 

Here’s how it went down, and the top 3 areas we were able to help his family save along the way.

MovementX Saves You Time

His son who went to the traditional clinic had a fairly typical experience:

• ~10 minutes commuting each way
• ~10 minutes waiting in the lobby
• 60 minute session, of which only around 15 minutes were with the actual physical therapist, while 45 mins were monitored exercise with an aide or assistant

That’s 90 minutes per session on the in-network side, with limited one-on-one care with the physical therapist. 

Now compare that to MovementX:

• We come to you, or meet you at a convenient location of your choosing 
• No commute, no waiting
• 60 full minutes each session with a licensed physical therapist near you, one-on-one

That’s 30 minutes saved per session, and every minute is rooted in focused, expert-driven care.

But it doesn’t stop there. You also have to consider the frequency of sessions that were recommended:

• The Traditional PT Experience recommended 2–3x per week for 6 weeks. Let’s assume they only made it 3x/week sometimes, so the child averaged 2.5 sessions/wk, which is 15 sessions, and translates to ~22.5 hours.
• The MovementX PT Experience recommended once per week for 4 weeks, then every other week for 4 weeks for a total of 6 sessions, and 6 hours total.

Same medical need. One approach took almost 4 times longer.

If you value your time, the winner is clear.

MovementX Saves You Money

Now let’s talk about how much physical therapy costs, because transparency matters.

In the traditional model, you often don’t know what you’re paying until months later. Between high deductibles, co-pays, inconsistent charges, and insurance complexity, the numbers are murky at best.

Let’s assume the child who went in-network paid $75 per session at the traditional clinic (a conservative estimate, especially if his deductible wasn’t yet met). If a patient hasn’t hit their deductible yet, sessions can range $250-$350 on average, and they just won’t know until they get the bill in the mail. But, for the sake of argument, let’s stick with $75 per session here.

In Network Physical Therapy: 15 sessions × $75 = $1,125

With MovementX, our average cash-pay physical therapy rate across the company is $184 per session, and everything is clear from the start.

MovementX: 6 sessions × $184 = $1,104

So while the sticker price of PT with MovementX looks higher on first impression, the total spend was nearly identical, but with far more efficiency and impact. And if the traditional care ended up costing more out-of-pocket later (which it often does), then it wasn’t even close.

Again, as my friend said, both are expensive. But when you feel the expense is different.

MovementX Saves You From Headaches and Stress

The final glaring difference, my friend described, was the experience. His child that went to the network clinic was filled with frustration: 

• Long wait times to schedule and an inefficient scheduling experience 
• His kid saw a different PT almost every session
• There was no continuity of care, and he had to repeat the same medical history over and over
• Somehow he still ended up doing the same exercises each session 

On the flipside, the child treated through MovementX: 

• Was scheduled quickly and seamlessly within the same week
• Saw the same physical therapist throughout their care 
• Made clear progress at each visit 

Not only that, their father was happier because payment was transparent. With the in-network model it was anyone’s guess how much money was going to be charged for physical therapy, and when he was going to receive the bill in the mail.

With the MovementX model, he knew exactly how much money he had to pay, upfront. No fighting with insurance companies. No dreading bills in the mail weeks or months after the fact. Great care with simple terms.

MovementX Gets You Better

If my friend’s experience in-network wasn’t bad enough, here’s the real kicker (and what pains me most to say):

His kid that was treated in-network went through more physical therapy sessions, paid more for the care, and didn’t get better.

After 15 in-network sessions, his symptoms were still there. 

His other kid, who went with MovementX, was back to playing the sport he loved after 6 sessions with us. 

What’s the Real Cost of Physical Therapy?

I’m not claiming that every in-network clinic delivers a poor experience. Unfortunately, it’s just way too hard to find one who can give a positive experience given the challenging in-network healthcare environment. 

Rather, I wanted to share this as a real experience and piece of education about the difference in physical therapy models.

Too often, people might look at us and think to themselves, “that’s too expensive,” when in reality you are likely to pay more if you don’t go with us. 

Transparent, people-first models like ours aren’t just more enjoyable; they’re often more effective.

We can’t promise to fix everyone, but we do promise this:

• We will do everything in our power to help you get better
• If you’re not getting better, we’ll adjust
• If we can’t help, we’ll help you find the person who can

And you’ll always know what you’re paying and why.

This isn’t just a business model. It’s a belief system.

We believe healthcare should be personal. Time should be respected. Transparency should be the norm, not the exception.

So when someone says, “That’s too expensive,” my hope is they’ll take a deeper look.

Because when you zoom out, you’ll see: you’re paying either way. And that sticker shock you feel will either hit you now or only after you’ve already wasted time, money, and energy, without getting better. 

We’re building a better model at MovementX, one where outcomes, experience, and integrity actually line up. And we’d love to share it with you.