Therapy with Oscar Health in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama

Where Oscar sells plans

The new Tennessee counties include Knox, Blount, Sevier, Anderson, Loudon and Hamblen. In Alabama, Oscar added counties including Morgan, Marshall, Etowah, DeKalb and Houston to its 2026 area around Birmingham and Huntsville. Oscar’s Tennessee network map names Baptist Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Ascension Saint Thomas.

Who handles Oscar’s mental health coverage

Oscar works with Optum Behavioral Health for its mental health coverage. Oscar’s member FAQ says this includes talk therapy, substance use services, psychiatry and autism care.

That matters when you look for a therapist:

• Search Oscar’s directory after you log in, under in-network treatment options. Mental health providers are marked “in network for mental health services only.”
• Or search Optum’s directory at liveandworkwell.com, using Oscar’s access code, OHP.
• Optum’s line for Oscar members is (877) 855-1317. Oscar also lists a free substance use helpline at 855-780-5955.

What therapy costs: Oscar’s 2027 plans

Oscar’s 2027 Summaries of Benefits and Coverage show these costs for an outpatient mental health office visit with an in-network provider. Tennessee and Alabama plans with the same name charge the same amounts.

Tennessee and Alabama (EPO plans)

Georgia (HMO plans, Open Access network)

What the numbers show:

• The “PCP Saver” name doesn’t always mean cheap therapy. Silver Simple PCP Saver has a $20 therapy copay, but the Bronze PCP Saver plans charge $125 or apply the deductible first. Read the mental health row, not the plan name.
• Most Simple bronze plans apply the deductible first. On Bronze Simple, you’d pay the full allowed amount for therapy until the $9,150 deductible is met.
• Other outpatient mental health services, such as intensive programs, usually cost coinsurance, often after the deductible.
• Silver plans have lower-cost versions for people whose income qualifies for cost-sharing reductions.

Do you need a referral or approval?

No referral. Every 2027 summary reviewed, including Georgia’s HMO plans, says you can see the specialist you choose without a referral.

Approval for some services. The summaries say preauthorization may be required for outpatient mental health care. Oscar’s 2027 prior authorization list for individual plans includes partial hospitalization, transcranial magnetic stimulation and applied behavior analysis. Routine therapy and psychiatric evaluation codes aren’t on it. Oscar’s list notes that when a partner handles reviews, you’ll be sent to that partner, so Optum may have its own rules. If you’re unsure, call Optum’s line before your first session.

Telehealth and virtual therapy

Telehealth therapy costs the same as an office visit. Oscar’s summaries say cost sharing applies to both in-person and telemedicine visits, and its 2027 Alabama policy says telehealth won’t cost more than the same service in person.

Oscar points members to three virtual therapy companies where you can book directly: Doctor on Demand, Alma and Headway. Tell them you’re covered by “Optum through Oscar.” Your plan’s regular mental health cost applies.

Oscar Virtual Care is $0, but it isn’t therapy. It covers 24/7 quick care and virtual urgent care. Its mental health feature only helps you find a provider, and Oscar’s 2027 brochures say that feature is available only in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona. On HSA-compatible bronze plans, $0 virtual visits may not apply before the deductible. Every 2027 Tennessee and Alabama bronze plan is HSA-eligible.

If your therapist isn’t in network

Every 2027 Oscar plan reviewed lists out-of-network outpatient mental health care as not covered. If your therapist isn’t in Optum’s network through Oscar, you’d pay them yourself. Our insurance guide covers paying yourself and asking for a Good Faith Estimate.

Choosing an Oscar plan for 2027 while you’re in therapy

1. Ask your therapist whether they’re in network with “Optum through Oscar” for 2027. Some therapists take Optum for employer plans and not for Oscar.
2. Search Optum’s directory at liveandworkwell.com with code OHP, or Oscar’s own directory.
3. Compare the mental health row in each plan’s Summary of Benefits.
4. Pick a plan by December 15 for coverage from January 1. Open enrollment ends January 15, 2027.

How to find a therapist who takes Oscar

1. Use Oscar’s or Optum’s directory, as above.
2. Then search LunahUP by city. No LunahUP profile lists Oscar yet, so ask each practice whether it’s in Optum’s network through Oscar.
3. Confirm with the practice that it takes your exact Oscar plan and is taking new clients.

Questions to ask Oscar or Optum

Along with the standard questions, ask:

• “Is [therapist’s name] in network with Optum through Oscar for my plan?”
• “Does outpatient therapy need preauthorization through Optum?”
• “Does my plan’s therapy copay apply before the deductible?”

The short version

• Oscar sells 2027 plans in Tennessee (62 counties), Alabama (18 counties) and Georgia. It doesn’t appear to sell in Kentucky.
• Optum Behavioral Health manages Oscar’s mental health coverage.
• Most 2027 plans charge a $20 to $65 therapy copay that doesn’t wait for the deductible. Bronze Simple applies the deductible first.
• No referral is needed, but out-of-network therapy isn’t covered.
• Telehealth therapy costs the same as in person. Oscar’s $0 Virtual Care is for quick care, not therapy.