Rhode Island Medicaid behavioral health rates
Rhode Island Medicaid pays $25.00 for mental health counseling delivered by a licensed mental health clinician, effective March 25, 2013, the 6th highest of 12 states with comparable rates. Below: 5 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
- $25.00
- Rank among states
- 6 of 12+4.3% vs median
- Mental health counselor median wage
- $31.31BLS May 2025
- Rhode Island minimum wage
- $16.00$17.00 from January 1, 2027
Rhode Island behavioral health rates vs other states
Fee-for-service, like-for-like by provider level. Click a rate to open Rhode Island's official fee schedule.
| Service | Provider level | Code | RI rate | Unit | Per hour | Rank | Median across states | Lowest | Highest | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental health counseling | Licensed mental health clinician | 96152 | $25.00 | — | — | 6 of 12 | $23.98 | $0.45 | $42.50 | 12 |
| Outpatient psychotherapy and diagnostic evaluation | Licensed mental health clinician | 90853 | $0.01 | — | — | 29 of 29 | $82.90 | $0.01 | $302.03 | 29 |
| Mental health assessment (non-physician) | Physician or licensed psychologist | H0031 | $124.50 | — | — | 14 of 28 | $120.34 | $9.66 | $687.46 | 28 |
| Skills training and development | Physician or licensed psychologist | H2014 | $34.91 | 15 min | $139.64 | 1 of 31 | $49.08/hr | $8.60 | $139.64 | 31 |
| Therapeutic behavioral services | Physician or licensed psychologist | Not published | $88.56/hr | $16.80 | $825.88 | 28 | ||||
| Mental health service plan development | Licensed mental health clinician | H0032 | $0.01 | — | — | 19 of 19 | $31.25 | $0.01 | $338.84 | 19 |
| Community-based wraparound services | Licensed mental health clinician | H2021 | $22.40 | 15 min | $89.60 | 8 of 12 | $94.50/hr | $6.28 | $3,451.36 | 12 |
| Psychiatric residential treatment (daily) | All levels | Not published | $525.10/day | $283.19 | $1,244.07 | 15 | ||||
| Inpatient psychiatric stay (per day) | All levels | Not published | $965.06/day | $287.00 | $1,345.00 | 11 | ||||
Mental health counseling: where Rhode Island ranks
States whose published unit can't be converted are left out of the ranking.
| # | State | Rate | Unit | Per hour | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | $42.50 | — | — | 2026-06-01 |
| 2 | Wyoming | $42.34 | — | — | 2026-07-01 |
| 3 | Washington | $28.05 | — | — | 2021-01-01 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $27.43 | — | — | 2022-01-01 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $27.38 | — | — | 2023-07-01 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $25.00 | — | — | 2013-03-25 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $22.95 | — | — | 2025-09-01 |
| 8 | Ohio | $21.21 | — | — | 2020-06-12 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $21.14 | — | — | 2026-01-01 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $18.49 | — | — | 2025-10-01 |
| 11 | Michigan | $8.62 | — | — | 2018-01-01 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $0.45 | — | — | 2024-01-01 |
What it costs to deliver in Rhode Island
Median hourly wages from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025).
| Role | RI median | US median | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental health counselor | $31.31 | $28.53 | +9.7% |
| Mental health social worker | $29.32 | $28.98 | +1.2% |
| Clinical psychologist | $51.68 | $48.36 | +6.9% |
| Psychiatrist | $138.28 | $135.51 | +2.0% |
| Nurse practitioner | $65.37 | $63.61 | +2.8% |
| Psychiatric technician | $23.33 | $21.70 | +7.5% |
Recent Rhode Island behavioral health rate changes
| Change | Status | Change | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2027 Waiver Rates - OHIC - Behavioral Health (FY2027 Budget Article 8; pending CMS approval) | enacted | +8.8% | 2026-10-01 |
| OHIC Social and Human Service Programs Review - 2025 cycle rate recommendations | proposed | +9.2% | 2026-10-01 |
| CMS approved RI SPA 26-0002 (Attachment 4.19B) | approved_cms | — | 2026-10-01 |
| Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) SPA | proposed | — | 2026-10-01 |
| OHIC Rate SPAs: Children’s, Behavioral Health, Adult Day, and Preventive Services | proposed | +32.6% | 2026-10-01 |
| OHIC Rate SPAs: Health Home Services | proposed | — | 2026-10-01 |
| SPA public notice 2026-04-17: Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) | proposed | — | 2026-10-01 |
| SPA public notice 2026-09-01: OHIC Rate Review Updates: Children’s Services, Behavioral Health Services, Adult Day, Preventive Services | proposed | — | 2026-10-01 |
| SPA public notice 2026-09-01: OHIC Rate Review Updates: Health Home Services | proposed | +13.4% | 2026-10-01 |
| MCO contract A21: State Directed Payments table | effective | +3.2% | 2026-07-01 |
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 Rhode Island'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.