Michigan Medicaid Behavioral Health Reimbursement Rates (2026)

Behavioral health Medicaid rates in Michigan sit at the bottom of the national ranking on the fee-for-service codes we can compare. Michigan Medicaid pays $8.62 for code 96152 mental health counseling, which ranks 12th of 12 states and is 67.1% below the $26.19 national median. Its H0031 assessment rate ranks 23rd of 27.

These fee-for-service rates are only part of the picture in Michigan, where plans negotiate their own behavioral health rates and specialty services for children run through community mental health services programs. But the published rates set the baseline for out-of-network care and for contract talks, so they shape what every Michigan provider can expect.

Michigan's code 96152 rate of $8.62 has been in effect since January 1, 2018. The highest counseling rates are South Dakota ($42.50), Wyoming ($42.34), the District of Columbia ($35.74) and Washington ($34.22). Connecticut ($21.14) and North Carolina ($18.49) are the other two lowest states, both well above Michigan.

A rate unchanged since 2018 and ranked last nationally is not one a counseling practice can build around. Set against the Michigan median counselor wage of $29.66 an hour, a single $8.62 unit leaves little room, so counseling under this code works only as a small part of a broader service mix.

Michigan pays $42.67 for an H0031 mental health assessment, effective July 1, 2026. That ranks 23rd of 27 states and is 65.9% below the $125.00 national median. Missouri ($687.46), California ($668.95) and Pennsylvania ($400.00) are at the top; Arizona ($33.89), Texas ($28.91) and North Carolina ($19.22) are the lowest.

The assessment rate was updated in 2026, which shows Michigan has revisited at least some behavioral health rates recently, even though the result still sits near the bottom of the ranking. For a provider, a recent update at a low level is a signal that the rate reflects a current policy choice rather than neglect, and is unlikely to rise quickly without a new decision.

Michigan pays behavioral health through several channels, and a provider's rate depends on which one it bills.

Fee-for-service

The MDHHS Practitioner and Medical Clinic Fee Schedule sets fee-for-service rates for licensed practitioners, including the psychotherapy and assessment codes on this page. These rates apply directly to fee-for-service claims and as the out-of-network reference for plans.

Medicaid Health Plans

Michigan Medicaid Health Plans operate under the Comprehensive Health Care Program. For behavioral health, they negotiate their own rates with providers.

Community mental health services programs

Michigan's Children's Waiver Program and Serious Emotional Disturbance Waiver, both 1915(c) waivers, run through community mental health services programs (CMHSPs). Providers delivering waiver services contract with their local CMHSP.

• Psychotherapy. Code 90836 pays $68.48 for a 45-minute session, effective January 1, 2026. The national median for outpatient psychotherapy and diagnostic evaluation is $83.33.
• Wraparound. Michigan pays $255.00 a day on H2022 with modifier TT, effective January 1, 2019. Because it is a daily rate, it is not directly comparable with the $90.48 national hourly median for wraparound.

The hour-long session, code 90837, pays $106.50, effective January 1, 2026. That ranks 37th of 48 states against a $132.38 national median. The other session lengths, including the 45-minute 90834, sit at a similar depth in the national ranking.

For a therapy practice, that places Michigan in the lower quarter of states on the codes billed most often. The January 2026 effective date means the rates are current; the gap to the median reflects Michigan's chosen level rather than an old schedule. A practice serving Michigan Medicaid members through plans should treat these figures as the out-of-network floor and negotiate from there.

Michigan's fee-for-service schedule is consistently below the national median for behavioral health, while its office visit rates for medical care sit closer to the middle. That pattern pushes behavioral health providers toward two strategies.

The first is contracting. Because plans negotiate behavioral health rates, a provider with scarce capacity, such as child and adolescent therapy, bilingual services or rural access, can ask for rates above the fee schedule. The second is the CMHSP channel. Providers delivering waiver and specialty services through CMHSPs are paid under those contracts, which can be structured differently from the fee schedule.

Providers that rely only on fee-for-service billing face the weakest economics. For them, counseling and assessment codes should be treated as supporting services rather than revenue drivers.

Federal occupational wage data for May 2025 shows Michigan wages at or slightly above the national median for most licensed roles.

• Mental health counselor: $29.66 in Michigan, $28.53 nationally
• Mental health social worker: $29.25 in Michigan, $28.98 nationally
• Clinical psychologist: $40.74 in Michigan, $48.36 nationally
• Psychiatrist: $140.31 in Michigan, $135.51 nationally
• Nurse practitioner: $63.20 in Michigan, $63.61 nationally
• Psychiatric technician: $20.74 in Michigan, $21.70 nationally

Median-level wages paired with bottom-ranked counseling and assessment rates is the core challenge for Michigan providers billing fee-for-service. Psychologists are the exception on cost, at $40.74 an hour against $48.36 nationally, which helps assessment-heavy practices.

For the behavioral health service line, Michigan plans negotiate their own rates with providers; the published Medicaid rate applies out of network. The same rule covers physician and practitioner services. Michigan also runs state directed payments under MI Health Link, mainly for home and community-based personal care.

For a provider, the low fee-for-service rates are the floor for negotiation only in the sense that they set out-of-network pay. Contract rates can sit above them, and a provider with strong access or specialty services has room to negotiate. We track 11 plans in Michigan; see the Michigan managed care page.

On coverage, none of the psychotherapy codes we track carries a prior-authorization rule or a published unit limit, including the diagnostic evaluation 90791.

1. Limited-licensed providers. MMP 26-30, effective September 1, 2026, covers enrollment of limited-licensed non-physician behavioral health providers and updated billing requirements, with changes to fee-for-service billing of the Level of Care Utilization System.
2. Hospital-based peer recovery coaches. MMP 26-35, published September 1, 2026, sets coverage and reimbursement for hospital-based peer recovery coach services from October 1, 2026. SPA 26-0008 on peer recovery services in emergency departments was submitted October 1, 2026.
3. Partial hospitalization. Notice L 26-24, published April 30, 2026, announced a state plan amendment to clarify partial hospitalization services, targeting October 1, 2026.
4. CCBHC transition. Proposed policy 2552-BH addresses a transition to direct payment for the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic demonstration.
5. Reentry services. A public notice for a new Section 1115 reentry services demonstration request targets January 1, 2027.

MMP 26-30 matters most for outpatient practices. Allowing limited-licensed clinicians to enroll and bill directly can expand capacity, provided practices follow the updated billing requirements.

Michigan sits at the bottom for counseling and near the bottom for assessments, with psychotherapy below the median. Compare with South Dakota, the top counseling payer, Missouri, the top assessment payer, and North Carolina, another low-ranked state on both. Neighboring Ohio and Wisconsin are useful regional comparisons.

The comparison with neighbors shows how much the channel matters in Michigan. A neighboring state that pays the median on its fee schedule may still pay less in practice than a Michigan plan contract negotiated above the floor, and the reverse is equally possible. For a provider weighing a Michigan location, the useful exercise is to price each service three ways: at the fee schedule, at a realistic plan contract, and through the local CMHSP where the service is a waiver or specialty service. The fee schedule figures on this page are the floor of that range rather than the expected outcome.

For wraparound, Michigan's daily H2022 rate also changes the comparison. A daily rate rewards programs that deliver intensive support on fewer days, while hourly rates elsewhere reward time delivered.

• Negotiate above the floor. Plans negotiate behavioral health rates; use national medians to support contract asks.
• Know your channel. Fee-for-service, plan and CMHSP services are paid differently; budget each separately.
• Enroll eligible clinicians. Review MMP 26-30 to see whether limited-licensed staff can bill directly.
• Watch the CCBHC transition. Clinics in the demonstration should follow proposed policy 2552-BH closely.

Rates on this page are compiled from official Michigan Medicaid publications, and each rate on our site links to its source document. Michigan sources include the MDHHS Practitioner and Medical Clinic Fee Schedule for January 2026 and MDHHS Medicaid provider bulletins. Our methodology explains how ranks are calculated.

All 57,306 current Michigan Medicaid rates, across 89 service categories and history back to 2009, are on the Michigan Medicaid rates page; 409 of them are in the behavioral health line. National medians are on the behavioral health Medicaid rates by state hub.