Moab and Grand County · Mental health costs for 2027
How Much Is a Therapy Visit on Medicare in Moab for 2027?
On the six Humana Advantage plans sold in Grand County, $0 a session. On the six UnitedHealthcare plans, $0 to $25 for an individual session and $15 for group. No deductible, no referral, and a psychiatrist costs the same as a therapist on every one of the 12.
The short answer
- Original Medicare: 20% of the Medicare-approved amount per visit after the Part B deductible. The yearly depression screening is $0 when the provider accepts assignment.
- Humana plans in Grand County, 2027: $0 for individual therapy, group therapy and psychiatrist visits, on all six.
- UnitedHealthcare plans, 2027: $0 to $25 for an individual session, $15 for group, on all six.
- No deductible and no referral on any of the 12, though all 12 say a visit can need approval.
The standard answer: what Medicare covers
Medicare.gov lists outpatient mental health care under Part B: individual and group psychotherapy, family counseling when it's part of your treatment, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, and a yearly depression screening. The list of providers is broader than most people expect: psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors.
On cost, Medicare.gov says "you pay nothing for your yearly depression screening if your health care provider accepts assignment." For treatment visits, "after you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount," plus a hospital copayment if the visit is in a hospital outpatient department. Original Medicare has no yearly out-of-pocket cap, so that 20% repeats every visit. The 2027 Part B deductible hadn't been announced when this was written; it was $283 for 2026 (Medicare.gov costs page).
Advantage plans have to cover the same care. In Grand County they price it very differently from Original Medicare, and very differently from each other.
Therapy and psychiatrist copays on every general Grand County plan
Each plan files mental health cost sharing in CMS's 2027 plan benefit file, split into individual and group sessions, with a separate line for psychiatric services. On all 12 plans, the psychiatrist line matches the therapy line exactly, so one column covers both.
| Plan | Individual session | Group session | Out of network | Monthly premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HumanaChoice H5216-048 (PPO) H5216-048 | $0 | $0 | 50% | $97 |
| HumanaChoice H7617-016 (PPO) H7617-016 | $0 | $0 | 50% | $110 |
| Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) H5216-430 | $0 | $0 | 50% | $0 |
| Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO, no drug coverage) H5216-455 | $0 | $0 | 50% | $0 |
| Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO, no drug coverage) H5216-427 | $0 | $0 | 35% | $0 |
| Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO, no drug coverage) H7617-021 | $0 | $0 | 30% | $0 |
| AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC UT-0008 (PPO) H2001-128 | $0–$25 | $15 | $40 / $30 group | $0 |
| AARP Medicare Advantage Giveback from UHC UT-9 (PPO) H2001-131 | $0–$25 | $15 | $40 / $30 group | $0 |
| AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC UT-0003 (HMO-POS) H4604-003 | $0–$25 | $15 | Not covered | $49 |
| AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC UT-4 (HMO-POS) H4604-011 | $0–$25 | $15 | Not covered | $0 |
| AARP Medicare Advantage Extras UT-7 (HMO-POS) H4604-018 | $0–$25 | $15 | Not covered | $0 |
| AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx UT-MA01 (HMO-POS) H4604-005 | $0–$25 | $15 | Not covered | $0 |
Sources: CMS 2027 benefit file, sections 7e (mental health specialty services) and 7h (psychiatric services) and the out-of-network section; premiums from the CMS CY2027 landscape. Out-of-network percentages are coinsurance. You still pay your Part B premium. Listing a plan is reporting, not a recommendation, and we do not offer every plan available in your area.
Two things stand out. The two carriers are a clean split, every Humana plan at $0 and every UnitedHealthcare plan at the same $0-to-$25 range, so in Moab the carrier tells you the therapy price before the plan name does. And none of the 12 needs a referral for these visits, including the four UnitedHealthcare HMO-POS plans that do require one for other specialists.
Why UnitedHealthcare shows $0 to $25
A range means the plan charges different amounts for different kinds of individual visits. UnitedHealthcare's own 2027 plan page for Grand County lists $0 virtual visits with a network telehealth provider, but it doesn't break out mental health separately, so I won't guess which therapy visits land at $0. The plan's Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage spell it out. For someone in weekly therapy, the gap between $0 and $25 is $1,300 over a year, so it's worth one phone call.
Video visits matter more in Moab than in most places. Medicare treats mental health telehealth differently from other telehealth after 2027, and our Moab telehealth post explains what stays and what changes.
Seeing a therapist or psychiatrist now?
We'll check whether your provider is in network on the Grand County plans we offer for 2027, and price the visits next to your doctors and prescriptions. Free, at our Moab office or by phone.
Book a call →Where Moab residents actually get care
Utah's Office of Substance Use and Mental Health names Four Corners Community Behavioral Health as Grand County's local mental health authority, the publicly funded center for the county. Its main office is in Price, with services in Moab. Many residents also see a private counselor in town, a psychiatrist in Grand Junction, or a provider by video from anywhere in Utah.
I couldn't find any official source that says which 2027 Advantage networks Four Corners, or any private Moab therapist, is in. Third-party directories list insurance but aren't reliable for this. Before you enroll, ask the provider two things: do you bill Medicare, and are you in network with this plan for 2027?
Out of network: where the plans really differ
If your therapist isn't in a plan's network, the $0 or $25 doesn't apply. The two UnitedHealthcare PPOs charge a flat $40 per individual session and $30 for group out of network. The Humana PPOs charge coinsurance: 30% on H7617-021, 35% on H5216-427, and 50% on the other four. The four UnitedHealthcare HMO-POS plans don't cover out-of-network therapy at all; their point-of-service benefit covers only dental.
That's the line to check if you already have a therapist you trust. A $0 in-network copay is no help if your therapist isn't in network.
Original Medicare plus Medigap, for comparison
With Original Medicare, any provider who accepts Medicare works and there's no network, which matters in a small town with few therapists. Medigap Plan G pays the 20% after the Part B deductible, so weekly therapy costs you the deductible once a year. Without a supplement, 20% of every visit with no yearly cap adds up. For someone who sees a provider regularly, compare that predictability with a $0 Humana copay that only applies in network.
Monticello and Blanding: same prices, different plans
San Juan County's 11 general plans for 2027 are the same six Humana PPOs, at $0, plus five UnitedHealthcare HMO-POS plans at $0 to $25 individual and $15 group. That includes UT-0005, which isn't sold in Grand County. None of the UnitedHealthcare plans there covers out-of-network therapy, so the network question matters even more. The state lists San Juan Counseling Center in Blanding, (435) 678-2992, as the county's local mental health authority.
Before you pick a 2027 plan
- Name your therapist or psychiatrist and confirm they're in the plan's 2027 network, not just "taking Medicare."
- Ask which visits are $0 on a UnitedHealthcare plan, in person or video.
- Check the out-of-network line if your provider is in Grand Junction or out of state.
Open Enrollment runs through December 7, and changes take effect January 1. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 any time.
How we know all this: the Medicare On Main Data Desk frames every article with public data. Here that means CMS's 2027 plan benefit and landscape files, Medicare.gov's outpatient mental health and cost pages, UnitedHealthcare's 2027 Grand County plan page and Utah's local mental health authority map, all read November 8, 2026. Benefits can differ in a plan's final documents, so confirm them in its Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage. Carrier names are factual reporting, not endorsement. This is education, not advice. Compare plans with a licensed agent or Medicare.gov. We take no payment from any carrier to feature a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Does Medicare cover therapy sessions?
Yes. Part B covers outpatient mental health care, including individual and group therapy, from psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors. On Original Medicare you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible, according to Medicare.gov.
How much is a therapy session with Medicare Advantage?
It's a flat copay the plan sets. In Grand County, Utah, for 2027, all six general Humana plans file $0 for individual and group therapy, and all six UnitedHealthcare plans file $0 to $25 for an individual session and $15 for group. None of the 12 puts a deductible in front of it.
Does Medicare cover a psychiatrist?
Yes, under the same Part B benefit. In Grand County for 2027 every general Advantage plan files the same cost for a psychiatrist as for a therapist: $0 on the Humana plans, $0 to $25 individual and $15 group on the UnitedHealthcare plans.
Do I need a referral for therapy on Medicare Advantage?
Not on the Grand County plans. All 12 tell CMS that no referral is needed for 2027 mental health visits, including the four UnitedHealthcare HMO-POS plans that do need one for other specialists. All 12 do say a visit can require the plan's approval, so ask the therapist's office to check.
Does Medicare pay for counseling at Four Corners in Moab?
Four Corners Community Behavioral Health is Grand County's state-designated local mental health authority. No official source says which Medicare Advantage networks it's in for 2027, so call the clinic and the plan before you enroll and ask whether it bills Medicare and is in network.
Is depression screening free on Medicare?
Yes. Medicare.gov says you pay nothing for your yearly depression screening if your health care provider accepts assignment. It's done in a primary care setting, and it's often the first step toward a therapy referral.
Sources
- CMS — 2027 Plan Benefit Package benefits file (ZIP)
- CMS — CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape files (September 2026, ZIP)
- Medicare.gov — Mental health care (outpatient)
- Utah DHHS, Office of Substance Use and Mental Health — Local Mental Health Authority map
- UnitedHealthcare — AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC UT-0008 (PPO), 2027 plan details for Grand County
- Medicare.gov — Medicare costs (Part B deductible and premium)
