Navigating your mental health: A complete guide to Aetna therapy coverage

With the rise in mental health needs around the United States, insurance providers such as Aetna have stepped up to help provide better mental health care coverage for those they insure. Whether you’re considering therapy for the first time or have been in treatment before, it’s important to know your options and understand what mental health coverage Atena insurance offers.

What is Aetna insurance?

Aetna is a nationwide insurance provider that offers medical, vision, dental, mental health—often referred to as behavioral health—and therapy coverage.

Many Aetna health insurance plans cover a range of outpatient mental health services—including therapy, both online therapy as well as in-person therapy—to help make mental health care accessible and affordable. Aetna’s mental health coverage is broad, covering many popular mental health services including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), family therapy, and group therapy.

What states is Aetna insurance available in?

Aetna’s availability depends on the type of healthcare you’re seeking. For mental health coverage, Aetna therapists on Grow Therapy can be found in most states Grow operates in, including California, Texas, New York, and more. States where Aetna is not available on Grow Therapy include Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

You can find an available Aetna therapist by state from our list of Aetna therapists below.

Does Aetna cover therapy?

Yes, Aetna typically covers therapy—including in-person and online therapy—as well as a wide range of mental health services that are designed to help with substance abuse, depression, anxiety, stress, relationship issues, OCD and more. To confirm that therapy is covered by your specific plan, we recommend you reach out to Aetna directly.

What therapy does Aetna cover?

Aetna insurance covers many types of therapy that can help with a variety of mental health conditions. You will need to confirm what types of therapy your specific Aetna plan covers, but in general the types of therapy Aetna typically covers includes:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical dehavior therapy (DBT)
• Family Therapy
• Group Therapy

Other types of therapy that Aetna may cover, depending on diagnosis, previous therapies, and your Aetna plan details:

• Ketamine and Esketamine (Spravato)
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Learn more about other types of therapy you might find when seeking mental health care, and be sure to double check your specific Aetna health plan, or reach out to Aetna directly, to understand what therapy may be covered by your Aetna insurance.

What types of therapy does Aetna not cover?

Aetna covers many types of therapy which may help an individual with their mental health needs. However, there are some types of mental health services which are not covered by Aetna. These services include, but may not be limited to:

• Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to help people with their mental health problems. Although some people find it helpful, Aetna does not believe it is a reliable or effective treatment for mental health issues.
• Non-traditional therapy: Non-traditional therapy, such as biofeedback therapy, aims to help people control their body’s response to stress and anxiety by giving them feedback about their body’s functions, like their heart rate or blood pressure. Aetna does not cover this type of therapy because they do not think there is enough evidence to prove that it’s an effective form of treatment.

Does Aetna cover online therapy?

Yes, Aetna covers both online therapy (also referred to as telehealth or virtual therapy), as well as in-person therapy. Online therapy through Aetna is available nationwide, based on the platform you may be seeking care through.

You can receive virtual therapy covered by Aetna on Grow Therapy in every state we are available in.

Does Aetna cover out-of-network therapy?

Aetna may or may not cover out-of-network therapy. When not covered, the cost you may have with out-of-network providers may be much more than the cost of in-network providers. If you have questions about out-of-network therapy coverage, please refer to your Aetna summary of benefits (SOB) as described below, or contact Aetna directly.

How to check if your Aetna plan covers therapy

There are three main ways to find out if your Aetna plan covers therapy and, if so, what it covers and how much it will cost.

1. Check your Aetna “summary of benefits” (SOB)

On the summary of benefits document, look for a row titled “If you need mental health, behavioral health, or substance abuse services” and refer to the second column that says “Outpatient services”.

Sample image — your summary of benefits may look different depending on your provider

If the “Network Provider” and/or “Out-of-Network Provider” say “not covered,” then your Aetna plan does not cover mental health services such as therapy.

If the “Network Provider” and/or “Out-of-Network Provider” give cost information, such as a copay or coinsurance, then your Aetna plan does cover mental health services.

To learn more about how Summary of Benefits are structured, you can refer to this sample SOB from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services website.

2. Contact Aetna directly

Contacting Aetna directly is the best way to get the exact information you need about what types of mental health care are covered.

To find contact information for Aetna, you can:

• Find the phone number to call, located on the backside of your insurance ID card
• Use the Aetna website to log into your account, and either chat or email an Aetna representative directly

3. Use a therapy provider like Grow Therapy

On Grow Therapy, you can search for Aetna therapists in your state who provide virtual or in-person care. Once you’ve found and booked an appointment with a therapist who you feel will be a good fit for your needs, Grow Therapy will verify your coverage and benefits and share any out-of-pocket expenses you need to be aware of. With Grow Therapy, there are no unexpected surprises with your therapy coverage.

How much does Aetna therapy cost?

Most people who are insured by Aetna will either be fully covered by their plan, or have to pay a small copay amount. For most clients, the average cost of Aetna for therapy is $0 – $60 per session, after the deductible has been met. For those who haven’t met their deductible yet, or for whose plan does not cover therapy, the typical range of therapy sessions is $80 – $200 per session.

These are average ranges, however, so if you are insured by Aetna the cost of therapy will depend on your plan’s specific coverage—you should always confirm your out-of-pocket costs before your appointment.

Average cost of therapy with Aetna by state

Looking at the therapy cost table above, we find that 45% of the states listed above have an average cost between $30 – $40, with another 22.5% having an average cost between $40 – $50.

This means that close to 68% of all states have an average therapy cost between $30 – $50, with the most expensive state for therapy being Minnesota ($70 – $80), and the least expensive state for therapy being Alaska ($10 – $20).

Aetna therapy copay

When paying for therapy, your copay—or copayment—is an important cost you should know about.

The copay is a fixed amount you have to pay for each therapy session. Copays can vary depending on your plan, as well as the therapist you see, so it’s important to double check your copay under the mental health coverage section on your Summary of Benefits.

If you have any doubts or questions about if you have to pay a copay, or what your copay is, you should reach out to Aetna support directly.

Sample image 

Does Aetna require a referral to see a therapist?

Depending on your specific plan, Aetna may not require a referral to see a therapist or receive mental health benefits. 

Per Aetna, “Behavioral health benefits cover treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. We offer treatment options to help you feel better and support your recovery.  You don’t need a PCP referral. You can get care from any provider in our network.”

To learn more, visit the Aetna’s website for more information.

Find an Aetna therapist

Finding a therapist who accepts Aetna insurance is not as difficult as you might think. There are several resources available to help you find an Aetna therapist online.

1. Check your insurance plan (if you currently have Aetna insurance)

If you are currently covered by Aetna, the first thing to do is check your insurance plan. This will show you what mental health services are covered, and what you might have to pay for.

You can do this by looking at your Aetna online account, calling the customer service number on your insurance card, or reading your plan documents.

2. Grow Therapy

You can find an Aetna therapist in almost every state within the US using Grow Therapy. Simply select your state from the list below and explore our Aetna therapists in your area.

Search Aetna therapists by state:

Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Connecticut Delaware Washington DC Florida Georgia Hawaii Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas

Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New York

North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Wisconsin

3. Aetna.com

To access Aetna’s online directory, you can visit their website or download their mobile app.

From there, you can search for providers by location, specialty, gender, language, and other factors to help you find a provider that meets your specific needs.

You can also read reviews from other patients and see ratings for each provider to help you make an informed decision.

Using Aetna’s online directory can save you time and effort in finding a mental health provider. Instead of calling multiple providers to see if they accept your insurance, you can quickly and easily find in-network providers in your area with just a few clicks.

Other insurance providers that cover mental health

In addition to Aetna insurance, here are other insurance companies that cover mental healthcare:

• All Savers
• AmeriHealth Administrators
• AmeriHealth New Jersey
• AmeriHealth Pennsylvania
• AvMed
• Cigna
• Evernorth
• Harvard Pilgrim
• Husky Health
• Magellan
• Medicare
• Optum
• Oscar
• Oxford
• Superior Health Plan
• Surest
• Tufts Health
• United Healthcare
• United Medical Resources
• UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
• Wellcare Medicare