United Behavioral Health (UBH) providers: what UBH on your card means for therapy in Michigan

Imagine opening your benefits packet from HR and finding the mental health section headed “United Behavioral Health,” while your medical card and the doctor’s office talk about something else entirely. Or maybe your card simply says UBH next to a phone number. If you are trying to start therapy, that unfamiliar name can feel like one more locked door. It is not. Here is what it means.

Can I see Iryna if my benefits are through UBH?

Yes. Sessions with Iryna Morhunova-Sutton, LLMFT, can be billed to United Behavioral Health (UBH) through her group practice’s billing system. The plan your employer or plan sponsor designed decides what you pay and whether a partner or family members can be part of covered sessions, so look it up before your first visit.

What is United Behavioral Health?

United Behavioral Health is a behavioral health company and a subsidiary of Optum. Optum’s member site describes people who have behavioral health, Employee Assistance Program, work-life or wellness benefits that their company, organization or state provides through United Behavioral Health, with Optum administering those benefits. Optum, in turn, is the health services division of UnitedHealth Group, which describes itself as two distinct but complementary businesses: UnitedHealthcare and Optum.

Provider documents spell out the naming: they are headed “United Behavioral Health operating under the brand Optum.” In everyday terms, UBH is the legal name and Optum, often Optum Behavioral Health, is the brand. If you have Optum materials instead, our Optum page covers the Optum member site and employee assistance programs.

Why your card or benefits guide says UBH

Some employers and organizations arrange their behavioral health benefits through UBH, so the company name in your plan documents for mental health care can differ from the name on your medical plan. Formal documents can use the legal company name, which is one reason “United Behavioral Health” may show up even when websites and apps say Optum.

The practical takeaway: when you have a mental health question, look for a behavioral health or mental health phone number on your card or in your benefits guide, and use it. That line is usually where outpatient therapy benefits are answered.

What UBH-managed plans typically cover for outpatient therapy

Because UBH administers benefits on behalf of many different employers, organizations and states, there is no single UBH benefit. Two people with UBH on their cards can have very different copays simply because their employers bought different plans. Your plan document sets whether outpatient therapy has a copay or coinsurance, whether the deductible applies, whether authorization is ever required, and whether video sessions cost the same as office visits.

Your UBH benefits checklist

• Which number handles my outpatient mental health benefits: the medical line or a separate behavioral health line?
• Is outpatient therapy with an in-network provider covered, and what will I pay per visit?
• Does my deductible apply to therapy, and how much remains?
• Are telehealth sessions covered for a provider located in Michigan?
• Is family psychotherapy (CPT 90847 or 90846) covered, and does my plan exclude marital counseling?

Write the answers on the back of your benefits guide so they are in one place when you reach out. If a representative mentions an authorization or reference number, add that too; it can save time if a question about a claim comes up later.

Couples and family sessions through a UBH plan

Like other behavioral health plans, UBH-administered plans typically tie coverage to treatment of a diagnosed condition. Family psychotherapy codes describe counseling a family on the psychological issues affecting the patient, so joint sessions may be billable when one person’s diagnosis is being treated. Counseling focused solely on the relationship is often not reimbursed. You can read the reasoning in does insurance cover couples therapy.

Video sessions, located in Michigan

Iryna works with individuals, couples and families exclusively by secure video, with no in-person sessions. You need to be located in Michigan for each session, because that is where she is licensed. A remote worker in Ann Arbor whose employer is headquartered in another state can still use a UBH plan here, as long as they are in Michigan for the session.

Ready to begin

Whether you want marriage counseling, family therapy or individual sessions, request an appointment and mention your plan when you reach out. Use the words United Behavioral Health or UBH. Compare other plans on the insurance overview.