Therapy with Cigna in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama

Does Cigna cover therapy?

Yes, most Cigna plans cover outpatient therapy for a diagnosed mental health condition, along with psychiatric evaluations and medication management.

What changes between plans is your cost and which therapists are in network.

Cigna is leaving the Marketplace after 2026

If you bought a Cigna plan through HealthCare.gov, this matters now. Cigna has said it won’t sell individual and family Marketplace plans in any state for 2027. In 2026 it sold them in 11 states, including Tennessee and Georgia.

• Your 2026 Cigna plan keeps working through December 31, 2026, as long as premiums are paid.
• Your network doesn’t change before then.
• You’ll need to choose a new plan for 2027 during open enrollment, which started November 1, 2026. To have coverage from January 1, pick a plan by December 15. The window runs to January 15, 2027, with later sign-ups starting February 1.

If you’re seeing a therapist now, ask them which 2027 plans they take before you choose. Then check the new plan’s network yourself, because a therapist can be in one insurer’s network and not another’s.

Cigna’s employer plans aren’t affected. If you get Cigna through work, your coverage continues as your employer sets it.

What 2026 Cigna Marketplace plans charge for therapy

If you have a 2026 Cigna Marketplace plan in Tennessee, here’s what four of them charge for an outpatient mental health office visit with an in-network provider:

The therapy copay is the specialist copay, not the primary care copay. On Connect Silver 3000, a primary care visit is $5 but therapy is $80. On Connect Gold 1500, primary care is $15 and therapy is $65. Keep that in mind when comparing 2027 plans, and read the mental health row, not the primary care row.

All four are EPO plans that don’t cover out-of-network mental health care. The federal Marketplace’s 2027 plan data lists no Cigna individual plans in Tennessee.

If you had a Cigna Medicare plan

Cigna sold its Medicare business, including its Medicare Advantage plans, to Health Care Service Corporation in 2025. Those plans now use the HealthSpring name. If your Medicare plan card says HealthSpring, call the number on that card for therapy questions. Our Medicare therapy guide covers how Medicare pays for mental health care.

If you’re a Tennessee state employee

The State of Tennessee’s ParTNers for Health plan uses BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Cigna, and therapy costs are the same with either carrier. Our BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee guide has the state’s 2027 therapy costs for every plan option.

If you chose Cigna, you’re in Cigna LocalPlus or the larger Cigna Open Access Plus network. Find therapists in your network at cigna.com/stateoftn or in myCigna, and call Cigna’s state plan line at 800-997-1617.

Who handles your mental health benefits

Cigna’s behavioral health benefits are run by Evernorth Behavioral Health, another part of The Cigna Group. You may see the Evernorth name on letters or when a practice checks your benefits. You still use your Cigna card.

Do you need approval before therapy?

Usually not. In 2024, The Cigna Group said Evernorth had removed prior authorization for all routine outpatient behavioral health services. An Evernorth form from 2022 also says it no longer requires prior authorization for intensive outpatient programs.

Higher levels of care, such as inpatient stays, residential treatment and partial hospitalization, still generally need approval. Employer plans can add their own rules, so ask if you’re not sure.

Where to find your benefits

Your Summary of Benefits and Coverage is in myCigna, at myCigna.com or on your employer’s benefits site. Tennessee state employees can also use cigna.com/stateoftn. Our insurance guide shows which line covers therapy and what the cost terms mean.

Telehealth with Cigna

Cigna gives most members three telehealth routes for therapy.

In-network therapists who offer telehealth. Many do. Cigna’s member materials say virtual sessions are covered at the same cost as an in-network outpatient office visit, as your plan defines it.

MDLIVE. Cigna uses MDLIVE for telehealth, including scheduled therapy by telehealth. In myCigna, choose “Talk to a doctor,” then counseling.

Talkspace. Cigna added Talkspace to its behavioral health network in 2020. Talkspace offers therapy by text messaging and telehealth, and Cigna’s materials list it for ages 13 and up.

Cost sharing depends on your plan. Some copay plans have offered no-cost virtual visits, and high-deductible plans usually apply the deductible and coinsurance. The therapist has to be licensed in the state where you are during the session.

If your therapist isn’t in network

Cigna’s Open Access Plus and PPO plans often include out-of-network benefits. Its HMO, EPO and Connect plans usually don’t. Our insurance guide explains how to claim with a superbill.

Evernorth EAP

Many employers that use Cigna also offer an employee assistance program through Evernorth, with a few free counseling sessions. Ask HR, and see our EAP guide for how EAPs work.

How to find a therapist in Cigna’s network

1. Use Cigna’s provider search. Sign in at myCigna.com and search for behavioral health providers with your plan selected.
2. Then search LunahUP. 4 Tennessee profiles list Cigna so far. Search your city too, and ask each practice whether it’s in your Cigna network, including for Tennessee state plan members.
3. Confirm with the practice. Ask whether the therapist you want is in network for your exact plan and is taking new clients.

Choosing a 2027 plan while you’re in therapy

If your Cigna Marketplace plan ends on December 31, 2026, these steps help keep your therapy going:

1. Ask your therapist which insurers they’re in network with for 2027. Practices often know before plan directories are updated.
2. Before you enroll, search each plan’s provider directory for your therapist by name, and check the network name. A therapist can take one insurer’s employer plans and not its Marketplace plans.
3. Compare the outpatient mental health line in each plan’s Summary of Benefits and Coverage. A lower premium can come with a higher deductible that you’d pay at every session until it’s met.
4. If you take medication, check each plan’s drug list too.
5. Enroll by December 15 for coverage from January 1, so there’s no gap between plans.

Questions to ask Cigna

Along with the standard questions, ask Cigna:

• “Are MDLIVE and Talkspace part of my plan, and what do they cost me?”
• “Is my plan’s behavioral health benefit run by Evernorth?”
• If you’re on a Marketplace plan: “Which of my current providers are in network on the 2027 plans I’m looking at?”

The short version

• Most Cigna plans cover outpatient therapy for a diagnosed condition.
• Evernorth, Cigna’s behavioral health arm, has removed prior approval for routine outpatient therapy.
• Telehealth therapy through in-network providers, MDLIVE and Talkspace is usually covered like an office visit.
• Cigna won’t sell Marketplace plans for 2027. If you have one, choose a new plan by December 15 for January 1 coverage.
• Cigna’s Medicare plans are now HealthSpring.
• Tennessee state employees can choose Cigna, with the same four networks as BlueCross.