Does UnitedHealthcare cover rehab?
UnitedHealthcare sells employer and Medicare Advantage plans, marketplace plans in some states, and Medicaid as UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Its behavioral health network is usually run by Optum.
This is general information, not a guarantee of coverage. What your plan pays depends on your plan, your state, whether the program is in network, and whether your plan decides the care is medically necessary. Call the number on your card, then the program, before you start.
What it usually covers, by level of care
| Level of care | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Detox (medically managed withdrawal) | Usually covered when a clinician finds withdrawal needs medical monitoring. Many plans ask for prior authorization and review the stay after a few days. |
| Residential rehab | Often covered when outpatient care isn't safe or hasn't worked, but usually needs prior authorization and a review every few days. Plans often approve a shorter stay than a program recommends. |
| Partial hospitalization (PHP) | Commonly covered as a step down from residential or a step up from IOP. Expect prior authorization and regular reviews. |
| Intensive outpatient (IOP) | Commonly covered. Some plans ask for prior authorization, and some limit the weeks or hours a week. |
| Outpatient therapy and medication | Usually covered like other outpatient visits: a copay or coinsurance, and your deductible may apply. Medications for addiction are usually on the plan's drug list. |
How to check
- Ask whether the program is in the Optum network, which many UnitedHealthcare plans use for behavioral health.
- Ask whether the program is in network for substance use treatment under your exact plan. A carrier has many plans, each with its own network.
- Ask what prior authorization is needed, how many days are approved at first, and what you will pay a day after your deductible.
- Behavioral health is often run by a separate company named on your card. Call that number for benefits.
- Individual and small-group plans, on or off the marketplace, must cover mental health and substance use treatment (older "grandfathered" plans are the exception). Under the federal parity law, most plans that cover it can't make its copays, visit limits or prior authorization stricter than for other medical care.
Call a program and ask
Call the program and ask them to verify your benefits; it's free and takes a few minutes.
- Do you accept UnitedHealthcare for substance use treatment, and for which levels of care?
- Are you in network for my exact plan, and is prior authorization needed?
- What would I pay a day or a week, and when is the next opening for an assessment?
Call the program yourself: Find Care doesn't take your insurance details, collect your name or pass anything to a program for you. This is general information, not a guarantee of coverage. What your plan pays depends on your plan, your state, whether the program is in network, and whether your plan decides the care is medically necessary. Call the number on your card, then the program, before you start.
Sources to check this against: UnitedHealthcare: ACA marketplace plans · Optum: UnitedHealthcare exchange plans and their behavioral health network · HealthCare.gov: mental health and substance use coverage · CMS: the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act · U.S. Department of Labor: mental health and substance use disorder parity; and the behavioral health pages of UnitedHealthcare. Written by Find Care as general information; not reviewed or endorsed by any of them.
Programs that list UnitedHealthcare
- Arizona 57
- Tennessee 44
- Texas 43
- Kentucky 37
- Colorado 36
- Missouri 25
- Louisiana 22
- New Mexico 17
- Arkansas 15
- Kansas 14
- Alabama 12
- Mississippi 9
- Oklahoma 4
Counted by organization, only where at least 3 list it. Not every program that takes UnitedHealthcare says so publicly.
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If you are in crisis, call or text 988. For help finding treatment, SAMHSA's National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357.