Optum Therapists in New York or New Jersey
Start therapy with an in-network therapist while making the most of your Optum mental health benefits. We accept the OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions plan.
What's Covered?
Although coverage depends on your specific Optum plan, usually Mental health treatment is covered for online & in-person individual and group therapy, as well as all major topics anxiety, trauma, depression, etc.
Start This Week
Optum’s directory listings often take two to four weeks to respond. We respond within 24 hours, and your first session is often within 7 days of submitting the form. If you are ready to start, the bottleneck should not be paperwork.
If Problems Come Up
Our team continues to help throughout your care, not just before your first appointment. If your Optum plan or your benefits change or a claim is denied, we' re-verify, submit claims on your behalf, re-bill and explain your options.
What is Optum?
Many people are surprised to learn that Optum isn’t an insurance company in the traditional sense.
Optum is a healthcare services company that manages behavioural health benefits for many employer-sponsored and UnitedHealthcare plans. If your insurance card mentions Optum, your mental health benefits may be administered through Optum even if your insurance company is UnitedHealthcare.
Not sure if your plan uses Optum or UnitedHealthcare?
Many employer-sponsored health plans use UnitedHealthcare for medical coverage while Optum manages mental health benefits. If you’re unsure, simply send us a photo of the front and back of your insurance card, we’ll help determine your behavioural health coverage before your first appointment.
- Contact us.
- We verify your insurance.
- We recommend therapists or, if you’d like to, you can take our Therapist Matching Quiz.
- We schedule your first appointment.
- You begin therapy.
Simple.
Insurance Verification Process
- verify your mental health benefits
- estimate your copay or coinsurance
- check whether your deductible applies
- confirm telehealth eligibility
- explain any referral or preauthorization requirements
- answer billing and insurance questions
- advocate on your behalf if insurance issues arise
- insurance card (front and back)
- phone number
- date of birth
- ZIP code
This allows us to verify your benefits as accurately and as quickly as possible.
We do our best to provide accurate information about your insurance benefits and estimated out-of-pocket costs before your first appointment. However, final coverage is determined by your insurance provider after your claims have been processed.
Typical Cost Per Session Is $10-$40*
*This is an estimated cost based on the experience of our previous clients. We do our best to verify your insurance benefits before your visit, but coverage and final out-of-pocket costs are determined by your insurance provider once claims are processed.
Does Optum Cover Medication?
While our therapists are in network with Optum, our psychiatric nurse practitioner provides medication management as an out-of-network service.
If your insurance plan includes out-of-network benefits, you may be eligible for partial reimbursement after your deductible, copay, or coinsurance has been applied. If your plan does not include out-of-network benefits, you will be responsible for the full session fee.
If you’re unsure about your coverage, our Care Coordinator can help you understand your benefits.
Let's Verify Your Coverage
You can help speed up the process by uploading photos of the front and back of your insurance card, along with your, phone number, date of birth and ZIP code, when completing the form. This allows us to begin verifying your insurance benefits right away, reducing back-and-forth communication and helping you get scheduled sooner.
Prefer to talk? Call 347-426-6072
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Optum the same as UnitedHealthcare?
Not exactly. UnitedHealthcare is the health insurance company, while Optum manages healthcare services, including behavioural health benefits, for many plans. Some people have a UnitedHealthcare insurance card with their mental health benefits administered through Optum.
If you’re unsure which applies to your plan, we can help determine your coverage.
What information do I need to verify my benefits?
Typically, we’ll ask for:
- your insurance card (front and back)
- your date of birth
- zip code
This allows us to verify your benefits as accurately as possible.
Does Optum cover therapy?
Most Optum behavioural health plans include benefits for outpatient psychotherapy with in-network providers. Your exact coverage depends on your individual policy, including your deductible, copay, and network. We verify these details before your first session.
Does Optum cover online therapy?
Many Optum plans cover telehealth therapy sessions the same way they cover in-person appointments. Coverage varies by policy, so we’ll verify your benefits before scheduling.
How much will therapy cost with Optum?
Your cost depends on your individual plan and may include a copay, coinsurance, deductible, or a combination of these.
Usually our clients with Optum insurance pay between $10 and $40 per session, but the out-of-pocket cost could be different for you. That’s why we’ll verify your benefits and give you the best possible estimate before your first session.
Can I choose my own therapist?
Yes. If your Optum plan includes out-patient behavioural health benefits, with our practice you can choose from our available therapists based on your preferences, goals, language, scheduling needs, and availability. To help you navigate that we provide a free 15-minute therapist matching call or, if you prefer “do it yourself ” approach, you could take our Quiz that does the same job.
What if I haven't met my deductible?
Depending on your plan, you may be responsible for the full contracted session rate until your deductible has been met.
We’ll explain how your deductible affects your expected costs before you begin therapy whenever possible.
What if my insurance information changes?
Simply let us know as soon as possible.
We’ll update your information and verify your new benefits before future appointments to help avoid unexpected billing issues.
Can you help if my claim is denied?
If a claim is denied unexpectedly, we’ll review the reason for the denial and explain the next steps. Every case is unique, but whenever appropriate, we go above and beyond by advocating for you and communicating directly with your insurance company on your behalf.