How to Navigate Insurance Portals for Mental Health Coverage?

If you’re trying to understand your mental health benefits — like how much your insurance will reimburse for therapy or psychiatry — your insurer’s member portal is one of the best places to start. But for many people, logging in brings more confusion than clarity. What’s a deductible? What’s the “allowed amount”? How do you know what you’ll actually get reimbursed?

This blog breaks down how to use your insurance portal effectively so you can make informed decisions about your care and avoid surprise costs.

Why Insurance Portals Matter for Psychiatry and Therapy

Your portal contains the key information you need to:

• See your out-of-network vs in-network benefits
  
  
• Track how much of your deductible you’ve met
  
  
• Submit superbills and track reimbursements
  
  
• Review Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) and processed claims
  
  
• Get CPT code-specific reimbursement details for psychiatric care

Knowing how to find this information helps you advocate for your mental health care, especially if your provider is out-of-network.

Key Terms to Know Before You Log In

• Deductible: The amount you must pay out-of-pocket before insurance starts reimbursing you.
  
  
• Coinsurance: The percentage of a claim insurance pays after you meet your deductible.
  
  
• Allowed Amount: The max dollar value your insurer will consider reasonable for a service.
  
  
• Out-of-Pocket Max: The most you’ll pay in a year — once this is hit, insurance covers 100%.
  
  
• CPT Codes: Billing codes your provider uses (e.g., 90792 for psych evals, 90837 for therapy).
  
  

Understanding these will make your search more efficient.

‍

Step-by-Step: How to Check Your Mental Health Coverage

Here’s how to navigate the most common insurer portals. You’ll usually need your member ID, group number, and personal login to start.

Aetna:

• Go to the Aetna portal and log in.
  
  
• Under “Coverage & Benefits,” select “Behavioral Health.”
  
  
• Check for out-of-network mental health coverage, deductible, and coinsurance.
  
  
• Use the claims estimator tool (under provider tools) to look up CPT codes.
  
  
• Submit claims or superbills under the “Submit a Claim” section.
  
  

Horizon BCBS NJ:

• Log in at horizonblue.com.
  
  
• Go to “Coverage” → “What’s Covered” → “Behavioral Health.”
  
  
• Look at both in-network and out-of-network benefits.
  
  
• Under “Claims & Services,” you can upload documents and track status.
  
  

UnitedHealthcare:

• Sign in at myuhc.com.
  
  
• Under “Benefits & Coverage,” filter by “Mental Health / Substance Use.”
  
  
• Your deductible, coinsurance, and CPT coverage will be visible here.
  
  
• Click on “Submit a Claim” to upload a superbill.
  
  

Cigna:

• Access your dashboard at my.cigna.com.
  
  
• Click on “Review My Coverage” and choose “Mental & Behavioral Health.”
  
  
• Your plan summary should show out-of-network benefits and coinsurance.
  
  
• Use the “Find a Claim” tool to track submissions and reimbursement.
  
  

What CPT Codes Should You Look Up?
These are the most common codes for psychiatry and therapy:

• 90792 – Initial psychiatric evaluation
  
  
• 99214 + 90833 – Medication management with therapy
  
  
• 90837 – 60-minute psychotherapy session
  
  
• 90834 – 45-minute psychotherapy
  
  
• 90832 – 30-minute psychotherapy
  
  

You can ask your provider what codes they use most frequently so you can check what’s reimbursable.

‍

How to Submit a Claim or Superbill

1. Log into your portal
   
   
2. Go to “Submit a Claim” or “Reimbursement”
   
   
3. Upload the superbill from your provider (PDF or image)
   
   
4. Enter the required details (dates of service, diagnosis code, provider info)
   
   
5. Submit and wait 30–60 days for processing
   
   

You’ll receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in your portal or by mail, showing how much of the bill was covered and what your reimbursement will be.

Tips for Maximizing Your Benefits

• Call your insurer before booking with an out-of-network provider to confirm allowable amounts
  
  
• Download copies of all EOBs and track reimbursements manually
  
  
• Use a spreadsheet to monitor out-of-pocket costs, reimbursements, and deductible progress
  
  
• Ask your provider to pre-fill your superbill with common CPT codes
  
  

Final Thought

Your insurance portal is your best ally when navigating psychiatric care — but only if you know how to use it. Take 10 minutes to log in, explore your benefits, and ask the right questions. You’ll be more confident in your care decisions, avoid surprise bills, and get the most value from your coverage.

‍