Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan therapist: using your PPO for online therapy

Imagine turning your Blue Cross card over at the kitchen table, looking for a phone number, and wondering whether mental health care is even part of what you pay for each month. For most Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan members, behavioral health is part of the picture. The specifics live in your own plan, and this page shows you where to find them.

Can I see Iryna with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan?

Yes. Sessions with Iryna Morhunova-Sutton, LLMFT, can be billed to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan through her group practice’s billing system. Your own Blue Cross plan decides the rest: the share you pay per visit, whether a deductible comes first, and whether sessions that include a partner or family members qualify. A quick benefits check before the first session keeps the surprises out.

How Blue Cross PPO plans work for therapy

Many Michigan employers offer Blue Cross PPO plans. Blue Cross explains that with a PPO you do not need a primary care provider and can see any health care professional without a referral, inside or outside your network. Staying in network means smaller copays, while going out of network usually costs more, and not all services may be covered.

For therapy, that flexibility is good news. You generally do not need anyone’s sign-off to book a first session. You do still need to know what your plan pays for outpatient mental health visits and what your share will be.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan vs. Blue Care Network

Both names appear on a lot of Michigan wallets, and they follow different rules. Blue Care Network is the HMO owned by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, while Blue Cross PPO plans use the PPO approach described above. If your card says Blue Care Network or BCN, our Blue Care Network counseling guide walks through the HMO steps instead.

What Blue Cross behavioral health benefits usually include

Blue Cross tells members it has a variety of behavioral health options and that your Blue Cross member account can show you behavioral health specialists who take your plan, with filters such as online therapy. It also reminds members that costs vary, so check your coverage before you sign up for a service.

Outpatient therapy benefits tend to differ across Blue Cross plans in four places: the deductible, the copay or coinsurance per visit, any authorization requirement, and any exclusions. Your Summary of Benefits and Coverage lists all four, and it is usually available in your member account.

Does Blue Cross cover online therapy?

Usually, yes. Blue Cross materials revised in February 2026 state that most Blue Cross commercial members and all Medicare Plus Blue members have coverage for telemedicine visits with in-network providers. Blue Cross also offers its own virtual therapy service through Teladoc Health for members whose contract includes it, which is separate from choosing your own therapist.

One rule shapes every video session: under Blue Cross’s telemedicine policy, the clinician has to hold a license in whatever state the member is in during the visit. Iryna is licensed in Michigan, so you need to be somewhere in Michigan for each session, whether that is your living room in Lansing or a parked car outside your office in Traverse City.

How to check your specific Blue Cross benefits

1. Log in to your Blue Cross member account or app and open the behavioral health or mental health section of your benefits.
2. Call the customer service number on the back of your ID card for anything that is unclear.
3. Ask whether outpatient behavioral health visits by video are covered, and whether they cost the same as office visits.
4. Ask what you owe per session and how much of this year’s deductible is still left.
5. Ask about joint sessions: does the plan pay for CPT 90847 or 90846, and is there any marital counseling exclusion?

Plan-specific benefits are the norm with Blue Cross. Two neighbors with the same blue card can have very different deductibles and exclusions, because their employers chose different plan designs.

Couples and family sessions with a Blue Cross plan

Blue Cross plans, like most insurance, generally pay for treating a diagnosed condition. When one partner or family member has a diagnosis and joint sessions are part of that treatment, the sessions may be billable as family psychotherapy. Sessions focused only on the relationship, without a diagnosis, are often not reimbursed. Our article on whether insurance covers couples therapy explains the reasons in more depth.

Ready to use your Blue Cross plan?

Whether you are looking for couples therapy, family therapy or one-on-one support, request an appointment and mention your Blue Cross plan when you reach out. To compare other plans, visit the insurance overview.