What Insurance Does BetterHelp Take? The Full 2026 List

• BetterHelp is in-network with 125+ plans and names nine: Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, Optum, UnitedHealthcare, Curative, and BCBS plans including Anthem, CareFirst, and Highmark.
• Eligible members average a $23 copay per session; self-pay is $70 to $100 per week.
• No full plan roster exists: signup checks your exact plan and shows your price first.

BetterHelp is an online therapy platform that began taking insurance in 2025, after a decade as a self-pay service. Insurance networks are plan-by-plan arrangements, and BetterHelp publishes only part of its list: nine named carriers out of a stated 125+ plans. That gap is why the carrier list is a starting point rather than a verdict, and why the check inside signup settles what the list cannot.

Medicaid, Medicare, and TRICARE are the explicit exceptions: BetterHelp’s providers do not directly accept any of them.

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The carrier list, plan by plan

As of August 25, 2026, per betterhelp.com/insurance. Availability varies by state, plan, provider network, and therapist availability.

Can you pay for BetterHelp with insurance?

Yes, since the rollout that began with Teladoc’s April 2025 acquisition of UpLift. The flow runs three steps: take the intake quiz, enter your insurance information when prompted to check cost and coverage, then get matched with an in-network therapist and schedule one covered live session per week.

The insurance option is a different product from BetterHelp’s $70 to $100 per week subscription, and the differences decide which one fits you:

• Cost: roughly $23 average copay per session with insurance, though your plan, network status, and how much of your deductible you have met can push that higher or lower. Check your member portal or the number on your card for your exact figure.
• Sessions and messaging: insurance covers one live session per week, and messaging between sessions is included only in the subscription.
• Availability: insurance options are available in all 50 states and DC, though what any one member can use depends on state, plan, network and therapist availability. If insurance does not appear at signup, it may not be available for your plan or network yet.

BetterHelp’s own guidance splits it cleanly: insurance fits if your plan includes online therapy benefits, your deductible is low, and an in-network provider is available; the subscription fits if you want messaging, faster flexibility, or your deductible has not been met. Many states also have telehealth parity laws requiring insurers to cover online therapy at the same rate as in-person visits, per BetterHelp’s page.

Does BetterHelp take UnitedHealthcare?

Yes, select UnitedHealthcare plans. BetterHelp’s FAQ states it “accepts select UnitedHealthcare (UHC) plans,” with provider availability varying by state, plan, network, and therapist availability, and the same $23 average copay for eligible members. Optum, which is UnitedHealth Group’s health-services side, appears separately in BetterHelp’s carrier list. “Select” is the operative word: run your specific UHC plan through the signup check rather than assuming membership equals coverage.

Does BetterHelp take Anthem Blue Cross?

Yes, through its Blue Cross Blue Shield acceptance. BetterHelp providers accept several regional BCBS plans, and BetterHelp names Anthem, CareFirst, and Highmark among them. Because BCBS operates as a network of independent regional plans, coverage varies significantly by state, and BetterHelp’s own instruction is to verify your specific BCBS plan during signup. BetterHelp says “Anthem” without naming state-specific brands, so California’s Anthem Blue Cross members should treat the signup check as the deciding step.

What about the other 115+ plans?

BetterHelp does not publish them. Nine named carriers plus a stated total of “125+ major insurance plans” is the entire public disclosure, and BetterHelp says it is “actively working with additional carriers to expand access.” That leaves one reliable way to find out about your plan: start signup, enter your insurance details, and see whether your plan appears with an estimated out-of-pocket cost. Existing members may be able to switch to insurance through account settings in the app, where available.

If your plan does not come up, the fallbacks: the subscription at $70 to $100 per week, HSA/FSA cards, which BetterHelp accepts as an eligible medical expense with most providers, and financial aid, which BetterHelp offers to those who qualify; our financial aid guide covers applying. One more route sits off the insurance page entirely: BetterHelp sells access through employers and EAPs via BetterHelp Business, so your benefits portal or HR team may cover sessions even when your insurance plan is not listed.

Kaiser and other plans

BetterHelp accepts Kaiser only on certain Mid-Atlantic plans and markets; elsewhere, expect no and check at signup. Kaiser members who want covered online therapy can ask Kaiser behavioral health about a referral to Rula, which works with Kaiser by referral among its 100+ commercial plans, with insured patients typically paying $15 per session.

For the government plans BetterHelp excludes, the in-network platforms differ by need: Grow Therapy works with 125+ plans including Medicaid in participating states and handles all billing and claims, Rula adds Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid in many states, and Talkiatry covers psychiatry through major commercial plans, verifying your network status before your first visit and covering that visit’s cost if it gets your coverage wrong.

Why the in-signup check beats guessing from a list

Even with commercial insurance, in-network mental health care is harder to reach than medical care. An RTI International study of commercial claims for over 22 million people found patients went out-of-network 3.5 times more often for behavioral health office visits than for medical care, 8.9 times more often for psychiatrists, and 10.6 times more often for psychologists¹. A carrier’s name on a list does not mean a therapist near you has openings under that plan.

Checking coverage the traditional way, through your plan’s own directory, still works and keeps its advantages: you can pick in-person care and use whatever provider relationships you already have. What the platform check adds is sequencing: BetterHelp, Grow Therapy, and Rula each run a coverage check at signup, so you see your network status before booking anything.

How to check whether your plan covers BetterHelp

1. Start BetterHelp signup and complete the short intake quiz.
2. When prompted, enter your insurance information; if insurance is available for your state and plan, your estimated out-of-pocket cost appears before you commit.
3. No insurance option shown? It may not be available for your state, plan, or network yet. Compare the subscription price, or run your plan through Grow Therapy, Rula, or Talkiatry instead.
4. For your exact copay under any plan, check your insurer’s member portal or call the number on your card.

The gap between the list and your plan, in practice

User reports show why the named-carrier list only goes so far. A New York member on Excellus, a regional BCBS plan, reported finding no telehealth platform that accepted it, BetterHelp included; “regional Blue Cross Blue Shield plans” means specific regional plans, and yours may sit outside them. A BetterHelp therapist posting in December 2025 confirmed insurance billing was live “in many states with others soon to come” while calling the company “so secretive with providers about how the business side of things work.” And a July 2026 member with insurance on file was quoted $105 per session against $55 self-pay, pre-deductible pricing that support could not explain to them.

All three point the same direction: run the signup check with your exact plan, and if you carry a deductible, ask what the pre-deductible session price is before choosing the insurance path.