Changing Medicaid Plans in Illinois Without Losing Your Psychiatrist

Usually you do not have to lose them. Illinois Medicaid lets you change your HealthChoice plan at set times, and whether you keep your psychiatrist depends on one thing: whether they are in-network with the plan you are moving to. Mugen Psychiatry is in-network with all four major HealthChoice Illinois plans, so a switch between them keeps your care in place.

When you are allowed to change

The state sets the windows, and they are narrower than most people expect.

You may change your plan once within 90 days of your enrollment start date. After you use that change, or once the 90 days pass, your plan is locked for one year from your anniversary date. After that, you may change once a year during open enrollment.

You do not have to track this yourself. The state sends an open enrollment letter roughly 60 days before your window opens, which is the letter worth opening rather than filing.

How to change

Changes go through Illinois Client Enrollment Services rather than through the plan you are leaving.

Illinois Client Enrollment Services: 1-877-912-8880. TTY 1-866-565-8576. Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm.

The one thing to check before you switch

Check that your clinician is in-network with the plan you are moving to, before the change takes effect rather than after.

Do not rely on the new plan’s online directory for this. Directory listings are updated slowly and are wrong often enough that checking with the practice directly is the only reliable method. How to find a psychiatrist who takes your insurance covers why, and what to ask instead.

The question to ask the practice is specific: do you bill this exact plan name, not this insurer.

The four plans we accept

A move between any two of these keeps your care at Mugen in place.

Each has its own page: County Care, Molina Healthcare, Aetna Better Health and Blue Cross Community Health Plans.

If you are moving to a plan we do not take

Ask the new plan about transition of care. Plans generally provide a defined period during which an existing course of treatment can continue with your current clinician while you move to an in-network one, particularly where stopping care abruptly would be harmful. The length and the conditions vary by plan, so ask member services for the specifics in writing rather than assuming a standard period.

That call is worth making before the switch takes effect, not after.

The week your plan changes

Three things make the transition uneventful.

Tell the practice the new plan name as soon as you know it, so benefits can be re-verified before your next appointment rather than at the desk.

Check you have enough medication to cover the gap. Prescription coverage moves with the plan, and a new plan may use a different drug list.

Keep your appointment. If anything about coverage is unresolved, the practice can usually work it out faster with you booked than with you waiting.

How this works at Mugen

We are in network with all four HealthChoice Illinois plans above, and our team verifies your benefits by phone whenever your plan changes, not only when you first join. How Medicaid works at Mugen covers the whole picture, and does Illinois Medicaid cover psychiatrist visits covers what is included.

We are accepting new adult patients. We follow standardized psychiatric clinical practice, so you receive the same standard of care at every visit.