Does Charlie Health Take Medicaid? Plans, States, and Cost

ChoosingTherapy.com is user-supported. We may earn a commission if you sign up for a service through our links, at no cost to you. Our reviews and comparisons are based on independent research.

• Charlie Health takes Medicaid in states where Medicaid covers intensive outpatient treatment (IOP), and it asks you to confirm your state with its admissions team.
• Its site names 34 Medicaid plans in 10 states: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Montana, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Washington. Those plan pages carry an October 2024 date.
• Every named Medicaid plan page shows a $0 average cost per session. Charlie Health publishes no self-pay rate.

Charlie Health runs a virtual IOP for ages 8 to 64. That means 9 to 12 hours of group, individual, and family therapy a week, all by video, usually for 9 to 12 weeks. Medicaid is public health coverage that each state runs under its own rules, and those rules decide whether IOP is a covered service. Charlie Health bills Medicaid only where it is. For readers under 21, federal rules on children’s Medicaid make coverage more likely than it is for adults. Ask Charlie Health whether your Medicaid plan covers its IOP.

This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment.

ChoosingTherapy.com may earn a commission from the companies whose services are linked on this page.

Does Charlie Health take Medicaid in every state?

Charlie Health does not take Medicaid in every state, even though one line on its own site suggests it does. The Insurance menu on every page of its site promises commercial and Medicaid coverage nationwide. Its FAQ and IOP pages narrow that to states where Medicaid covers IOP, and its list of in-network insurers names Medicaid in select states only.

Charlie Health’s locations page lists 42 states as of October 12, 2026, and omits Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, and DC. Each state page carries the same template line about partnering with Medicaid plans. The line also appears on pages for states with no Medicaid plan, so it does not confirm coverage. Charlie Health’s 2025 outcomes post says about one in three clients (35%) used Medicaid.

Which Medicaid plans Charlie Health names

Charlie Health’s locations sitemap holds 34 plan pages with Medicaid in the title, spread over 10 states. All 34 were loaded on October 12, 2026, and all carry a sitemap date of October 4, 2024. The list shows the plans named as of that date, so confirm yours on the admissions call.

Each page describes Charlie Health as in-network for its virtual IOP:

• Arizona (AHCCCS): Banner, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Centene, Mercy Care
• Delaware: Highmark Health Options
• Florida: Aetna, Carelon, Centene, Humana, Molina
• Maryland: Maryland Physicians Care (MPC), Optum, Priority Partners, Wellpoint
• Montana: Montana Medicaid
• New York: Centene, MVP
• Ohio: Ohio Medicaid, CareSource, Centene, Molina
• Oregon (Oregon Health Plan): CareOregon, PacificSource Community Solutions
• Texas: Aetna, Community First Health Plans, Community Health Choice, Cook Children’s Health Plan, Driscoll Health Plan, Parkland Community Health Plan, Scott & White, Texas Children’s Health Plan
• Washington (Apple Health): Centene, Community Health Plan of Washington, Wellpoint

Charlie Health’s IOP Medicaid page also names Coordinated Care of Washington, an Apple Health plan.

California and Pennsylvania have plan pages for Sharp Health Plan and UPMC Health Plan, but neither is labeled Medicaid, and there is no Medi-Cal page. If your plan isn’t listed, Charlie Health says to call admissions.

Charlie Health coverage by plan type

Charlie Health says it is in network with more than 600 plans and that 99% of its clients use insurance.¹ Costs below are the average cost per session each insurer page shows.

As of October 12, 2026, from Charlie Health’s insurance, insurer, and plan pages. Each insurer page also says costs can be as low as $0.

Medicare does not appear on Charlie Health’s insurance pages or in its FAQ, and its programs stop at age 64.

Children’s Medicaid and adult Medicaid cover IOP differently

Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment benefit, known as EPSDT, covers children and young people under 21.4. Under EPSDT, states must cover services medically necessary to correct or improve a mental health condition, even when the state’s adult Medicaid plan doesn’t cover that service.² For a teen on Medicaid, that rule makes IOP coverage more likely.

Adults have no such guarantee. A KFF survey of state Medicaid programs found 34 states covered intensive outpatient treatment for adults 21 and older as of July 1, 2022, 11 did not, and 6 did not respond.³ That survey covered fee-for-service Medicaid only. Most states deliver behavioral health care through managed-care plans, whose benefits can differ. A July 2026 Trustpilot reviewer says Charlie Health would not accept their Medicaid because they were older than 20.

What you pay at Charlie Health with Medicaid

Charlie Health’s Medicaid page says out-of-pocket costs can be as low as $0, and all 34 Medicaid plan pages show a $0 average per session.⁴ Copays still vary by plan, and the benefits team gives the exact figure.

Most states keep Medicaid cost-sharing under $10 per service.⁵ The 2025 reconciliation law adds required copays of up to $35 a service for some expansion adults from October 1, 2028, but mental health and substance use services are exempt.⁵ Federal rules also exempt children from most Medicaid cost sharing.

Any remaining balance is billed after your insurer processes the claims, which Charlie Health says can take 60 days or more. You pay only for sessions you attend, but you need to attend 9 hours a week to keep insurance covering the program.

Self-pay is offered in select states with payment plans, but no published price is listed. The site describes no sliding scale or financial aid as of October 12, 2026.

How to check your Medicaid coverage with Charlie Health

As of October 12, 2026, Charlie Health’s online form opens by asking who the care is for and your date of birth, with no insurance questions up front.

1. Check the plan name on your Medicaid card against the list above.
2. Fill out the form on Charlie Health’s site or call its admissions team 24/7 at 1 (986) 206-0414.
3. Send photos of the front and back of your card when admissions asks. The benefits team confirms coverage and gets any authorizations.
4. Also call the member services number on your card yourself. Ask whether Charlie Health is in network for virtual IOP and how long your plan covers it.
5. Once coverage is confirmed, a clinician runs a free assessment and builds your treatment plan. Charlie Health says Medicaid members can start in as little as 24 hours.

Ask for the expected cost in writing at step 3, and ask what happens if your program runs past 9 weeks.

Check your Medicaid plan with Charlie Health’s admissions team.

Charlie Health vs. a Medicaid therapist from your plan’s directory

A therapist from your plan’s directory usually means one session a week. Charlie Health’s IOP runs several sessions a week, with groups of 6 to 8 people plus individual and family therapy.

Finding that weekly therapist through a Medicaid plan takes effort. HHS’s Inspector General found that in 2023 an average of 28 percent of providers in Medicaid plans’ networks saw no Medicaid enrollees at all.⁶ US Senate Finance Committee staff called listed mental health providers in Medicaid managed-care and Medicare Advantage plans across six states. They got an appointment 18% of the time.⁷ Charlie Health runs the insurance check itself and says Medicaid members can start in as little as 24 hours, though a September 2026 Trustpilot reviewer describes a three-week wait for a therapist after intake.

A local clinic can see you in person and keep seeing you for years, while Charlie Health’s program runs for 9 to 12 weeks.

If Charlie Health can’t take your Medicaid

Charlie Health publishes no referral process for Medicaid members it can’t cover. Grow Therapy and Rula both take Medicaid.

In September 2026, Grow Therapy told Choosing Therapy that it accepts Medicaid, with coverage varying by state. Its plan list names Medicaid plans in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. See our Grow Therapy review.

Rula accepts managed Medicaid for select states and insurers. Medicaid patients on Rula see therapists only, not prescribers. See our Rula review.

Grow Therapy and Rula offer weekly outpatient therapy, which is a lower level of care than Charlie Health’s 9 to 12 hours a week. Talkiatry does not take Medicaid.

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics accept Medicaid and must serve anyone who asks for mental health or substance use care, whatever their ability to pay, where they live or their age.⁸ SAMHSA’s FindTreatment.gov is a confidential, anonymous search for mental health and substance use treatment. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

Charlie Health billing complaints on Trustpilot and the BBB

As of October 12, 2026, Charlie Health has a TrustScore of 2.3 on Trustpilot from 14 reviews, on a profile the company has not claimed.⁹ The Better Business Bureau rates it F and lists it as not accredited, with 17 complaints in three years and 15 in the 12 months to October 2026.¹⁰ None of the complaints shown on the BBB page mention Medicaid.

From March to September 2026, reviewers repeatedly describe a cost estimate given at intake that later rose when the program ran longer than 9 weeks, or the client’s insurance changed partway through. A September 2026 reviewer says they were discharged after reaching their state’s insurance limit for IOP. Positive reviews praise the clinical work and flexible schedule.