Behavioral health Medicaid rates in Nebraska are high for outpatient clinicians and low for facilities. Nebraska Medicaid pays $115.68 on family therapy code 90847, which ranks 4th of 28 states and sits 38.8% above the $83.33 national median. The hour-long individual session ranks 6th of 48.
At the other end of the continuum, Nebraska's psychiatric residential treatment rate of $283.19 a day is the lowest of 15 ranked states. The distance between those two rankings defines the state's behavioral health market: an excellent environment for outpatient therapy practices and a difficult one for residential programs.
| Service | Code | Nebraska rate | Rank | vs national median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outpatient psychotherapy and evaluation | 90847 | $115.68 | 4 of 28 | 38.8% |
| Mental health assessment (non-physician) | H0031 | $164.25 | 9 of 27 | 31.4% |
| Skills training and development | H2014 | $40.36 an hour | 21 of 33 | -21.2% |
| Psychiatric residential treatment | H2013 | $283.19 a day | 15 of 15 | -46.1% |
Every rate in the table took effect July 1, 2026, alongside a new edition of the state's mental health and substance use disorder schedule. That makes Nebraska's behavioral health figures among the most current in the country: the strengths and weaknesses in the table reflect present policy, not an old schedule waiting for an update.
The 90847 rate of $115.68 is billed with modifiers HA and HF. Nebraska trails only California ($302.03), New Mexico ($144.88) and North Dakota ($118.28), and sits ahead of Wisconsin ($95.02). The lowest states on this measure, Iowa ($58.46), Pennsylvania ($26.25) and Missouri ($20.33), pay a fraction of Nebraska's rate.
Assessment is also strong. Nebraska pays $164.25 on H0031 with modifier AH, ranking 9th of 27 and 31.4% above the national median. For an outpatient practice, the combination of an above-median intake rate and a top-five therapy rate gives Nebraska clinics a solid base on both the first visit and ongoing care.
The hour-long individual session, code 90837, pays $206.50, effective July 1, 2026. That ranks 6th of 48 states against a $132.38 national median. The 30 and 45-minute codes and group therapy sit in the same top band nationally.
Nebraska also pays psychological testing well: the testing evaluation code 96130 ranks first of 49 states. For practices that combine therapy with psychological evaluation, Nebraska is one of the most favorable Medicaid markets we track. And because the published coverage data lists no prior-authorization rules on the psychotherapy codes, including 90791, the session codes and family and group therapy, those rates are easy to access.
Nebraska publishes its behavioral health rates in a dedicated Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSUD) fee schedule, with a practitioner tab for licensed clinicians and a service location schedule for facility and program-based services. Physician services appear in the separate 471-000-518 physician fee schedule. Each is reissued for the state fiscal year starting July 1.
For providers, the practical point is that the same code can appear on more than one schedule. A practice should identify which schedule governs each service it bills before relying on a figure. Nebraska's behavioral health line holds 866 current rates in our records.
Nebraska's psychiatric residential treatment rate is $283.19 a day on H2013 with modifier UA. It ranks 15th of 15 and is 46.1% below the $525.10 national median. The next-lowest states are Wyoming at $443.78 and Louisiana at $448.73; the highest is Minnesota at $1,244.07, followed by Ohio at $1,092.60.
For a residential operator, the Nebraska rate leaves very little room for the staffing a round-the-clock program requires. Two changes may affect this line. Provider Bulletin 25-26 changed coverage for therapeutic and medical leave days effective January 1, 2026, and Provider Bulletin 26-15, published September 18, 2026, sets coverage for medically necessary stays in Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMDs) effective January 1, 2027.
The IMD bulletin is the one to watch. IMD coverage governs whether Medicaid pays for stays in larger psychiatric facilities, so the bulletin can change the mix of residential and inpatient options available to Nebraska Medicaid members.
Skills training on H2014 pays $10.09 per 15 minutes, or $40.36 an hour. That ranks 21st of 33 and sits 21.2% below the $51.20 national median.
The labor math is tight. Nebraska's median psychiatric technician wage is $27.58 an hour, above the $21.70 national figure. At that wage, pay takes 97.1% of the H2014 rate, and the margin after loaded wages is $1.16 an hour. An agency delivering skills training at the median wage has almost nothing left for supervision, travel or documentation, so H2014 in Nebraska usually needs to be paired with better-paid services.
Nebraska's behavioral health schedule sends a clear signal about where the state's Medicaid dollars go: to licensed clinicians delivering assessment, therapy and testing. Paraprofessional community services and residential care receive far less.
For a provider choosing a service model, that favors outpatient group practices and clinic-based programs staffed by licensed therapists. Agencies that rely on technicians for skills training face a near break-even rate at Nebraska's high technician wages. Residential operators face the lowest daily rate in our comparison. Providers that run both outpatient and residential lines should account for them separately, since a strong outpatient margin can mask a residential program that does not cover its costs.
Nebraska's May 2025 wage data is mixed:
- Mental health counselor: $30.66, against $28.53 nationally
- Mental health social worker: $20.79, against $28.98
- Clinical psychologist: $45.45, against $48.36
- Psychiatrist: $64.99, against $135.51
- Nurse practitioner: $63.52, against $63.61
- Psychiatric technician: $27.58, against $21.70
Two figures stand out. Mental health social workers earn well below the national median, which makes social-worker-staffed therapy at the 90847 rate especially favorable. Psychiatric technicians earn well above it, which is what squeezes skills training. The median psychiatrist wage of $64.99 is less than half the national figure of $135.51.
Nebraska Heritage Health is the state's Medicaid managed care program, covering physical health, behavioral health, pharmacy and dental. For behavioral health, the rule is that plans negotiate; the published rate applies out of network. A contracted provider's payment depends on its agreement with each plan, while the fee schedule sets what an out-of-network provider is paid.
Our behavioral health data counts 5 plans. The plans named in the state data are Molina Healthcare of Nebraska, Nebraska Total Care and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Nebraska. Because plans negotiate, Nebraska's strong fee-schedule rates for therapy and assessment are a benchmark for contract talks rather than a guaranteed floor. The Nebraska managed care page shows the rule for each service line.
In negotiation, the top-ten national rankings on therapy and assessment are a provider's strongest argument. A plan proposing rates well below the fee schedule is asking a clinician to accept less than the state itself pays out of network.
- MHSUD Service Location schedule. A new edition effective July 1, 2026 changes 16 amounts, a 1.12% change.
- Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Services. SPA NE 25-0001 was submitted to CMS on July 28, 2025 with a proposed effective date of January 1, 2026.
- IMD coverage. Provider Bulletin 26-15 covers medically necessary IMD stays from January 1, 2027.
- Leave days. Provider Bulletin 25-26 changed coverage for therapeutic and medical leave days from January 1, 2026.
- Dual eligibles. LB55, in the 2025 budget, increased Medicaid rates for behavioral health providers serving dual eligibles for fiscal year 2025-26 only.
The LB55 increase was time-limited, so providers serving dual-eligible clients should check whether a comparable increase carries into later fiscal years before budgeting on it.
Nebraska's profile, top-five therapy and bottom-ranked residential care, sits opposite states such as Ohio, which pays $1,092.60 a day for residential treatment, and Minnesota, the top residential payer. Neighboring Iowa and Kansas pay far less for therapy.
That regional contrast is useful for providers near a state line. A therapy practice serving clients on both sides of the Nebraska-Iowa border earns far more per Nebraska Medicaid session than per Iowa session, while a community agency delivering skills training may find Iowa's hourly rate far more workable. Residential operators face the reverse of the therapy picture: Nebraska's daily rate is the lowest in our comparison, so a residential program weighing locations in the region should look closely at the neighboring states' daily rates and authorization rules before committing beds in Nebraska. In each case, the decision turns on the service line, not the state as a whole.
- Lead with licensed therapy and testing. These rank near the top nationally on a current schedule.
- Price skills training carefully. At median technician wages it barely breaks even.
- Negotiate from national rankings. Plans negotiate; use Nebraska's top-ten positions in contract talks.
- Watch IMD and CCBHC changes. Both can reshape residential and clinic payment from 2026 and 2027.
Rates on this page are compiled from official Nebraska Medicaid publications, and each rate on our site links to its source document. Nebraska sources include the Nebraska Medicaid Mental Health and Substance Use fee schedule for SFY27 and the Nebraska Medicaid fee schedule 471-000-518 Physician effective July 1, 2026. Rankings follow our methodology.
All 40,192 current Nebraska Medicaid rates, across 111 service categories and history back to 2021, are on the Nebraska Medicaid rates page. National medians are on the behavioral health Medicaid rates by state page.