Therapy with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee: what to check before you book

The short answer

Most BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee plans cover therapy for a diagnosed mental health condition. Plans sold on the Marketplace must cover mental health care, and federal parity law means your plan can’t make therapy harder to use than other medical care.

Three things decide your cost: whether the therapist is in your plan’s network, your copay or coinsurance for an outpatient mental health visit, and whether you have to meet your deductible first.

Check which BlueCross you have

Each state has its own Blue Cross Blue Shield company. If your card says BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, this guide is for you. If your card is from another state’s Blue plan and you live in Tennessee, call the number on your card. Many Blue plans let you see in-network providers in other states, but the rules come from your own plan.

Also look for a network name on your card or in your plan documents, such as Network S, Network E or Network P. A therapist can be in one network and not another.

Where to find your benefits

Your Summary of Benefits and Coverage is on bcbst.com after you sign in, on your employer’s benefits site, or from member services. Our insurance guide shows which line covers therapy and what copay, coinsurance and deductible mean on it.

What therapy costs: BlueCross Marketplace plans for 2027

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has posted Summaries of Benefits and Coverage for its 2027 Marketplace plans. Here’s the outpatient mental health line for seven of them, in network:

What the summaries show:

• Most plans charge a flat copay for a therapy office visit that doesn’t wait for the deductible. Other outpatient mental health services, such as intensive programs, usually cost coinsurance after the deductible.
• Two plans work the other way. On Bronze B15E you pay the full allowed amount until the $11,700 deductible is met, then nothing. On Gold G09S you pay 20% after the deductible.
• All of them are EPO plans, and outpatient mental health care out of network is listed as not covered.
• Every plan includes $0 telehealth through Teladoc. Telehealth with your own network therapist follows the plan’s regular cost.
• The letter in the plan name is the network. S plans use Network S and E plans use Network E, so check that your therapist is in the right one.

The 2027 list also includes cost-sharing reduction versions of the silver plans, which have lower copays for people whose income qualifies.

If you work for the State of Tennessee or a school district

The State of Tennessee’s ParTNers for Health plan uses two carriers, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Cigna, and your therapy costs are the same with either one. The state’s 2027 comparison charts set these costs for behavioral health and substance use care, including virtual visits with your own provider:

The telehealth programs are MDLive, Teladoc and Talkspace. These costs were the same in 2026.

A few more things the charts and enrollment notices say:

• Residential treatment, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient care are treated as inpatient care for cost sharing, and some outpatient services, such as psychological testing, need prior authorization.
• The new Copay PPO for local plans uses BlueCross Network S. Outpatient office visits are $30, and Talkspace virtual behavioral health care is $0.
• For behavioral health help, the charts point members to Here4TN at 855-Here4TN. Here4TN is the state’s program run by Optum.
• Free counseling through Here4TN, the state’s employee assistance program: our EAP guide has the session count, who can use it and how to start.
• Networks: members choose BlueCross Network S or Cigna LocalPlus, or the larger BlueCross Network P or Cigna Open Access Plus, and stay in that network for the year. A therapist can be in one and not another.

Do you need approval first

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s published list for its commercial plans requires prior approval for higher levels of behavioral health care, such as inpatient stays, residential treatment, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs. Regular outpatient therapy visits aren’t on that list.

Two exceptions to keep in mind. Your employer’s plan can add its own rules, and care from a therapist outside your network can follow different rules. If you’re not sure, ask member services before your first session.

Telehealth

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee made coverage for telehealth visits with in-network providers permanent in 2020. It also says its 2026 Marketplace plans include Teladoc visits at $0, including mental health visits.

If you want telehealth with a particular therapist, ask member services whether those visits cost the same as office visits under your plan. The therapist has to be licensed in the state where you are during the session.

If your therapist isn’t in network

Whether BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee pays anything for a therapist outside your network depends on your plan type, so ask member services. If you do have out-of-network benefits, our insurance guide explains how to claim with a superbill.

Finding a therapist who takes BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

1. Start with BlueCross’s own directory. Sign in at bcbst.com and search Find Care with your plan’s network selected. That’s the most current list of who’s in network for your plan.
2. Check LunahUP. Our directory has a BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee page. Very few profiles list their insurance yet, so you’ll find more therapists by searching your city and asking each practice.
3. Confirm with the practice. Ask whether the therapist you want, at the location or telehealth option you want, is in network for your exact plan and is taking new clients.

Questions to ask member services

Along with the standard questions, ask BlueCross:

• “Which network am I in, and is [therapist’s name] in it?”
• “If I’m a state employee, does my Network S or Network P choice change who I can see?”
• “Are Teladoc mental health visits included in my plan, and what do they cost?”

The short version

• Most BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee plans cover therapy, but your costs depend on your plan.
• Ask whether the therapist is in your plan’s network. “Takes BlueCross” can mean a different network.
• Regular outpatient therapy isn’t on BlueCross’s published prior-approval list, but your plan can add rules.
• Telehealth with in-network providers is covered, and BlueCross’s 2027 Marketplace plans include $0 Teladoc visits.
• On most 2027 Marketplace plans, a therapy office visit is a flat $30 to $65 copay that doesn’t wait for the deductible.
• State of Tennessee employees pay $25 or $30 per therapy visit on the PPOs, the same with BlueCross or Cigna.
• Confirm everything with member services and the practice before you book.