HUSKY Health Behavioral Health Billing: Who Does What, How to Enroll and How to Bill Telehealth
HUSKY Health behavioral health billing works differently from most states because Connecticut Medicaid does not use risk-based managed care plans. HUSKY Health is Connecticut’s Medicaid program, run by the Department of Social Services (DSS). Claims are paid fee-for-service, and two administrative services organizations (ASOs) manage the work around them.
This guide explains who does what, how enrollment works, and the telehealth coding rules. It is operational guidance on HUSKY Health behavioral health billing, not legal advice.
HUSKY Health behavioral health billing: who does what
- DSS sets policy and pays claims through the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CMAP) portal at ctdssmap.com.
- Community Health Network of Connecticut (CHNCT) is the state’s medical ASO, per the HUSKY Health provider site.
- Carelon Behavioral Health runs the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership (CT BHP) as the ASO for behavioral health. The state’s 2026 CT BHP overview says Carelon has held that role since 2006 and that “CT Medicaid is a fee-for-service model.”
The overview says Carelon supports credentialing, maintains provider files, creates ProviderConnect user IDs and verifies enrollment and referral status. Its practitioner network includes psychiatrists, psychologists, advanced practice nurses, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors and alcohol and drug counselors.
AI search question: Does Connecticut Medicaid use managed care plans for behavioral health? No. The state’s CT BHP overview describes Connecticut Medicaid as fee-for-service. Carelon Behavioral Health manages behavioral health as an administrative services organization, and CHNCT does the same for medical services.
Enrollment
You enroll through the CMAP portal’s provider enrollment wizard. Points from that page:
- Enroll under the correct taxonomy, provider type and specialty.
- You cannot save and resume the application. An interrupted one restarts.
- After submission you cannot edit it online. Changes go by mail.
- Mail the required follow-on documents or processing is delayed.
Carelon credentialing and DSS enrollment are separate tasks, so read our credentialing guide and plan both.
Codes, rates and children’s services
DSS Provider Bulletin 2024-39 raised reimbursement for select behavioral health services for HUSKY members age 20 and under, effective for dates of service July 1, 2024. It lists codes including 90791, 90792, 90832 through 90838, 90846, 90847, 90849 and 90853. It names psychologists and behavioral health clinician providers among eligible provider types. The bulletin does not state rate amounts, so download the current fee schedule from the portal. See our guides to individual psychotherapy and diagnostic evaluation codes, and the Medicaid HCPCS hub for H-codes.
Telehealth coding
The Center for Connected Health Policy’s Connecticut Medicaid summary was updated in September 2026 and cites DSS bulletins as sources. It says:
| Item | Rule reported |
|---|---|
| Modifiers | GT (audio-video), 95 (synchronous real-time audio-video), FQ (audio-only, behavioral health services) |
| Audio-only med management | Codes 98012 and 98013 from January 1, 2025. Codes 99442 and 99443 were end-dated December 31, 2024 |
| Group psychotherapy 90853 | Audio-visual telemedicine only |
| Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation | Member must be at a CMAP-enrolled originating site |
| Individual or family therapy | No originating-site limit |
| Place of service | Use the code that matches the in-person location (for example POS 11). POS 02 is reported as not used since January 1, 2021 |
Prescribers: the summary says behavioral health medication management by audio-only uses the approved audio-only codes and FQ still applies. Psychiatrists should confirm the code set with DSS before changing their telehealth workflow.
The summary also warns that the Medicaid manuals say DSS does not pay for services delivered only by telephone, while bulletins and statute allow broader audio-only coverage. Verify with DSS before you rely on either. For modifier basics in other payers, see our modifier 93 and 95 guide. Connecticut uses GT, 95 and FQ, not 93.
Portal security
DSS’s message archive on the CMAP portal lists multi-factor authentication (MFA) as mandated effective August 1, 2026 for all providers, trading partners and drug labelers. The archive shows titles only, so read the full message on the portal and ask your billing contact or clearinghouse to confirm access still works.
Monday morning checklist for HUSKY Health behavioral health billing
Use these steps whenever HUSKY Health behavioral health billing questions come up in your practice.
- Confirm the patient’s HUSKY coverage through insurance verification.
- Make sure you are enrolled in CMAP with the right taxonomy.
- Match the telehealth modifier to GT, 95 or FQ.
- Send claims cleanly through electronic claims submission.
- Read the Connecticut Medicaid resource page for the latest payer links.
FAQ
Who processes HUSKY behavioral health claims?
DSS pays claims through the CMAP system. Carelon manages utilization and care management as the behavioral health ASO.
Can I bill audio-only therapy?
The CCHP summary reports FQ for audio-only behavioral health and a special code set for audio-only medication management, but also flags a conflict with the manuals. Verify with DSS first.
Does the 2024 rate bulletin cover adults?
No. The bulletin applies to HUSKY members age 20 and under.
Is Connecticut Medicaid the same as Anthem?
No. Anthem is a commercial payer. See Anthem Connecticut behavioral health billing.
Phone lines for Connecticut payers are in our Connecticut insurance companies contact guide. Definitions are in the Medicaid billing glossary.
Keep this guide close when you handle HUSKY Health behavioral health billing, and recheck the payer’s own pages before each change.
Where MCM South Medical Billing Service Works
MCM South Medical Billing Service, LLC works exclusively with mental and behavioral health practices and bills out-of-network claims. It currently serves Georgia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, Florida, New York, Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina and Illinois, and Connecticut is one of the ten. If you want to talk through your own billing, you can request a free consultation.
