Colorado Medicaid behavioral health rates
Colorado Medicaid pays $24.79 per 15 min ($99.16 an hour) for mental health counseling delivered by a licensed mental health clinician, effective July 1, 2021. Below: 7 more behavioral health rates compared with every state we track, the wages of the staff who deliver them, and recent rate changes.
- Mental health counseling
- $24.79per 15 min · $99.16/hr
- Rank among states
- —
- Mental health counselor median wage
- $30.00BLS May 2025
- Colorado minimum wage
- $15.16$15.71 from January 1, 2027
Colorado behavioral health rates vs other states
Fee-for-service, like-for-like by provider level. Click a rate to open Colorado's official fee schedule.
| Service | Provider level | Code | CO rate | Unit | Per hour | Rank | Median across states | Lowest | Highest | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental health counseling | Licensed mental health clinician | H0004 | $24.79 | 15 min | $99.16 | — | $21.21 | $0.45 | $28.05 | 7 |
| Outpatient psychotherapy and diagnostic evaluation | Licensed mental health clinician | 90846 | $82.99 | — | — | 6 of 12 | $81.18 | $20.33 | $302.03 | 12 |
| Mental health assessment (non-physician) | Physician or licensed psychologist | H0001 | $104.17 | — | — | 7 of 15 | $91.21 | $9.66 | $687.46 | 15 |
| Skills training and development | Agency provider | H2014 | $12.82 | 15 min | $51.28 | 4 of 12 | $44.08/hr | $10.00 | $104.24 | 12 |
| Therapeutic behavioral services | Physician or licensed psychologist | H2019 | $9.28 | 15 min | $37.12 | 10 of 12 | $73.80/hr | $19.52 | $825.88 | 12 |
| Mental health service plan development | Licensed mental health clinician | T1007 | $12.79 | Per Plan | — | — | $81.85 | $13.67 | $338.84 | 8 |
| Community-based wraparound services | Behavior technician | H2021 | $8.10 | 15 min | $32.40 | 7 of 7 | $98.52/hr | $32.40 | $280.00 | 7 |
| Psychiatric residential treatment (daily) | All levels | 911 | $787.64 | day | — | 4 of 6 | $891.57/day | $283.19 | $1,244.07 | 6 |
| Inpatient psychiatric stay (per day) | All levels | Not published | $877.34 | $623.70 | $1,435.69 | 5 | ||||
Mental health counseling: where Colorado ranks
States whose published unit can't be converted are left out of the ranking.
| # | State | Rate | Unit | Per hour | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $28.05 | — | — | 2021-01-01 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | $27.43 | — | — | 2022-01-01 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $22.95 | — | — | 2025-09-01 |
| 4 | Ohio | $21.21 | — | — | 2020-06-12 |
| 5 | North Carolina | $18.49 | — | — | 2025-10-01 |
| 6 | Michigan | $8.62 | — | — | 2018-01-01 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $0.45 | — | — | 2024-01-01 |
What it costs to deliver in Colorado
Median hourly wages from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025).
| Role | CO median | US median | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental health counselor | $30.00 | $28.53 | +5.2% |
| Mental health social worker | $31.55 | $28.98 | +8.9% |
| Clinical psychologist | $54.46 | $48.36 | +12.6% |
| Psychiatrist | $128.06 | $135.51 | -5.5% |
| Nurse practitioner | $63.91 | $63.61 | +0.5% |
| Psychiatric technician | $22.81 | $21.70 | +5.1% |
Recent Colorado behavioral health rate changes
| Change | Status | Change | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Health Fee-for-Service Rates FY 26/27 Effective 7/1/2026 | effective | -2.0% | 2026-07-01 |
| Integrated Care Fee Schedule FY26-27 | effective | -2.0% | 2026-07-01 |
| July 2026 Outpatient Substance Abuse Fee Schedule | effective | -2.0% | 2026-07-01 |
| Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility fee schedule Psychiatric Residential Child Care Facility Rates (07/26) | effective | -2.0% | 2026-07-01 |
| Qualified Residential Treatment Program fee schedule July 2026 QRTP Rate Schedule | effective | -2.0% | 2026-07-01 |
| Behavioral Health Fee-for-Service Rates FY 25/26 Effective 4/1/2026 | effective | 0.0% | 2026-04-01 |
| Behavioral Health Fee-for-Service Rates FY 25/26 Effective 10/1/2025 | effective | -1.6% | 2025-10-01 |
| October 2025 Outpatient Substance Abuse Fee Schedule | effective | -1.6% | 2025-10-01 |
| Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility fee schedule Psychiatric Residential Child Care Facility Rates (10/25) | effective | -1.6% | 2025-10-01 |
| Qualified Residential Treatment Program fee schedule October 2025 QRTP Rate Schedule | effective | -1.6% | 2025-10-01 |
The workspace adds every modifier, region and provider variant, full rate history, proposed changes, coverage and prior-authorization rules, managed-care plans and a unit-economics calculator. All of it is available through the API.
Rates are taken from Colorado's official Medicaid publications, and each one links to its source. Confirm with the payer before billing. Managed-care plans may pay differently from fee-for-service.