Rehabs That Take Maryland Children's Health Program (MCHP)

Does MCHP Cover Drug and Alcohol Rehab?

Yes. The Maryland Department of Health lists substance abuse treatment and mental health services among MCHP benefits, and because MCHP delivers full Medicaid coverage, a child reaches the whole Maryland Medicaid substance use continuum: outpatient care, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential treatment, withdrawal management, hospital inpatient care and opioid treatment programs.

The rest of the MCHP benefit package sits alongside that: doctor visits, hospital care, prescription medicine, lab work, immunizations, vision care, dental care and transportation to medical appointments. School-based health center services and rare and expensive case management are included as well, which matters when a teenager’s treatment plan has to fit around the school day.

What Does Maryland Medicaid Pay For at Each Level of Care?

Maryland Medicaid’s continuum follows the ASAM levels, which the Department of Health designates as the medical necessity criteria for the Public Behavioral Health System. Level is matched to clinical need at assessment rather than chosen in advance, and for a child under 21 the residential route runs through intermediate care facility for adolescents providers rather than the adult residential system.

Medical Detox

Withdrawal management is a covered service and authorization is requested before admission. Under the level-of-care guidance carried forward from the previous administrative services organization, Medicaid reimburses inpatient medical detox only in hospital settings, while ambulatory withdrawal management is covered in community programs with its own authorization and was billed for up to five days alongside intensive outpatient care.

Residential and Inpatient

Medically monitored residential care at ASAM levels 3.5, 3.7 and 3.7-WM is delivered to anyone under 21 by intermediate care facility for adolescents providers, and medically managed inpatient care at level 4.0 sits above that. The two non-consecutive 30-day residential stays per year written into the state’s waiver apply to ages 21 to 64, not to MCHP children, so a young person’s length of stay turns on medical necessity. Residential treatment centers for teens differ from adult programs in schooling, family involvement and staffing.

PHP, IOP and Outpatient

Partial hospitalization at level 2.5 and intensive outpatient at level 2.1 are covered, as is outpatient treatment at level 1. Outpatient mental health requires registration with the administrative services organization, and no numeric cap on visits appears in state guidance; family psychotherapy may be billed on the same day as individual therapy where it is a separate service.

Does MCHP Need Prior Authorization for Rehab?

Yes, for the higher levels of care. Carelon Behavioral Health of Maryland authorizes specialty behavioral health services and reviews medical necessity against the ASAM Criteria, with requests submitted through the Availity Essentials portal or by phone on 1-800-888-1965. Outpatient mental health is registered rather than authorized.

Under the state’s level-of-care guidance, authorization applies to intensive outpatient 2.1, partial hospitalization 2.5, residential levels 3.1 and 3.3 or 3.5, which may be requested up to 14 days ahead of admission, level 3.7 and adolescent intermediate care, which are requested within 24 hours of admission, all withdrawal management before admission, and opioid treatment services. Assessments are limited to one per provider per participant per year.

Who Manages Mental Health and Substance Use Benefits for MCHP?

Carelon Behavioral Health of Maryland has been the Public Behavioral Health System administrative services organization since January 1, 2025, replacing Optum Maryland, under a contract that runs to December 31, 2029 with a two-year option. The toll-free number did not change with the handover.

How Much Does Rehab Cost With MCHP?

Nothing. MCHP coverage is free, the managed care plan covers services at no cost, and the premium formerly charged to households between 212% and 322% of the federal poverty level was permanently eliminated effective April 9, 2024. There are no pharmacy copays for anyone under 21, so the $1 preferred and $3 non-preferred charges on opioid use disorder medication do not reach a child.

Income limits are set monthly and were updated February 1, 2026: $4,283 for a household of one, $5,809 for two, $7,332 for three, $8,855 for four, $10,381 for five, $11,904 for six, $13,427 for seven and $14,954 for eight, with $1,526 added for each further household member. The figures below show what the same treatment is billed at without Medicaid coverage, which is the gap the benefit closes.

Because there is no cost share, the thing that decides whether a stay is paid is the authorization and the provider’s enrollment status, not the price. Coverage is also worth watching at the edges: a child who loses coverage for procedural reasons has a 120-day reconsideration period to return through Maryland Health Connection or myMDThink without filing a new application.

Does MCHP Cover Suboxone, Methadone and Other Addiction Medication?

Yes. Medications for opioid use disorder are carved out of the managed care benefit and paid fee-for-service by Maryland Medicaid, a split that has been in place since January 1, 2015. On the preferred drug list effective July 1, 2026, buprenorphine and buprenorphine with naloxone tablets are preferred with quantity limits, naltrexone tablets are preferred, and naloxone nasal spray and injection are preferred.

Where the Prescription Is Filled

Non-preferred products need prescriber prior authorization, handled through a call center that operates around the clock, and a three-day emergency supply can be dispensed without it. In calendar year 2024, 99.8% of the 334,079 opioid use disorder prescriptions written were for preferred drugs. The fee-for-service pharmacy member line is 833-325-0105, weekdays 8am to 5pm. Long-acting injectables are the item worth checking first: an October 2025 state report listed Vivitrol, Sublocade, Brixadi and Zubsolv among preferred drugs, while the 2026 list places them with clinical criteria attached, so the current list settles it.

Methadone and Opioid Treatment Programs

Methadone reaches a participant through a licensed opioid treatment program as opioid maintenance therapy, which is a covered substance use service rather than a pharmacy fill, and those services carry their own authorization. Buprenorphine prescribed in an office or clinic goes the pharmacy route instead, which is why one medication never appears on the drug list and the other always does.

Which Rehab Centers in Maryland Are In-Network With MCHP?

A substance use program bills this coverage when it is enrolled with Maryland Medicaid through ePREP and registered with Carelon Behavioral Health of Maryland. Specialty behavioral health is not limited to the managed care plan’s own network, so the question is enrollment and registration rather than the plan on the card, and Carelon’s Maryland provider search settles current status.

Maryland has 590+ listed treatment programs, 552 of which accept Medicaid, concentrated in Baltimore, MD, Rockville, MD, Frederick, MD and Hagerstown, MD. Programs that list this coverage are gathered on the Maryland Children’s Health Program page, alongside the wider Maryland directory, and each listing shows the payments the program says it accepts, its licensing and accreditation, and the distance to the nearest airport. Counts updated October 2026.

How Do I Find a Rehab That Takes MCHP?

Call Carelon Behavioral Health of Maryland on 1-800-888-1965, available at any hour, and ask for a registered substance use program for a child or adolescent, or use the Carelon Maryland provider search. The Department of Health’s Provider Finder tool covers medical providers by managed care plan, and the admissions team can say whether it holds ePREP enrollment and Carelon registration.

Applications run through Maryland Health Connection, online, by mobile app or on 1-855-642-8572 weekdays 8am to 6pm, and may be filed at any time of year rather than in an enrollment window. Eligibility asks that the child lives in Maryland, is a citizen or qualified non-citizen, is under 19, holds no other health insurance, meets the income limit and has or applies for a Social Security number.

Is MCHP the Same as Maryland Medicaid or HealthChoice?

MCHP is Maryland’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, built inside Maryland Medicaid as an expansion rather than as a standalone plan, which is why enrollees receive full Medicaid benefits. HealthChoice is the Medicaid managed care program those children are served through, and the nine participating organizations for 2026 are Aetna Better Health, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan Maryland, Jai Medical Systems, Kaiser Permanente Maryland, Maryland Physicians Care, MedStar Family Choice, Priority Partners, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Wellpoint Maryland.

The former MCHP Premium tier is the other name that still circulates. It described households between 212% and 322% of the federal poverty level who once paid a monthly amount; that requirement ended in 2024 and the program continues under the MCHP name. Families choosing a plan should note that out-of-area enrollment is allowed by most organizations but not by Kaiser Permanente Maryland or MedStar Family Choice, while emergency care is covered out of state regardless.

References and Citations

• Maryland Department of Health — Maryland Children’s Health Program benefit and eligibility pages, 2026 monthly income limits, and COMAR Title 10 Subtitle 09 Chapter 11.
• Maryland Department of Health — 2026 HealthChoice managed care organization comparison chart and Public Behavioral Health System level-of-care guidance.
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — State Plan Amendment MD-24-0012 eliminating MCHP premiums, approved September 10, 2024.
• Carelon Behavioral Health of Maryland — Public Behavioral Health System participant and provider pages, authorization parameters and provider search.
• Maryland Medicaid Pharmacy Program — preferred drug list effective July 1, 2026, and the October 2025 report on opioid use disorder medication utilization.
• RehabSeekers directory listings and market rate research, United States, 2026. Ranges are indicative and vary by facility, length of stay and coverage.