Insurance · Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of Californiamental health coverage.

We check your Blue Shield of California plan for PHP, IOP, and outpatient care at our Laguna Beach clinic.

Located in Laguna Beach, California

(949) 670-9345
Talk to admissionsVerify insurance
  • The checkOne business day
  • What we needMember ID + DOB
  • Cost to checkFree

The quick answer

We check the plan before you start.

Blue Shield of California mental health benefits can apply to PHP, IOP, and outpatient care at Exist in Laguna Beach. Send us a member ID and date of birth, and we will contact the plan and write back within one business day. Benefits vary by plan, so we tell you what yours returned. Verification is not a guarantee of payment.

You hear what Blue Shield said before you decide anything.

Call (949) 670-9345
A person sitting alone on a wooden bench on a clifftop lawn above the ocean at dusk, back to camera, a pale sun near the horizon.

How verification works

What happens between your call and our answer.

Verification is free, and your part is one phone call or a short form with two details. We handle the call to Blue Shield and write back within one business day.

  1. An old cream rotary telephone on a small walnut side table beside a plaster window that looks out over a dusk coastline and a pale sun.

    Check the card

    Look at the company name on your card first, because Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross are separate insurers.

  2. A small stack of blank cream envelopes tied with twine on a dark walnut desk, a window behind showing a pale sun over the sea.

    Send two details

    Call (949) 670-9345 or use the insurance form with the member ID and the date of birth of the person on the plan.

  3. A person walking a narrow dirt trail through coastal sage on a bluff above the ocean at dusk, back to camera, a pale sun over the headland.

    We ask about each level

    We ask Blue Shield how your plan treats PHP, IOP, and outpatient care, and we write down exactly what it says.

  4. A cream ceramic vase of dried pampas grass on a deep plaster window sill, a pale sun setting over a hazy cove outside.

    You hear back

    Within one business day, we tell you what the plan returned, and then you decide what to do next.

What we check

What we check on a Blue Shield of California mental health plan.

These are the levels of care Exist runs in Laguna Beach, and each one gets its own question to the plan.

Talk to admissions

  1. PHP

    A partial hospitalization program is five full clinical days a week, and we ask Blue Shield how your plan covers it.

    • Full days
    • Laguna Beach

  2. IOP

    An intensive outpatient program is three to five half days a week at the same clinic, and we check that benefit too.

    • Half days
    • Same clinic

  3. Outpatient

    Weekly one-on-one therapy is for when a program day is more than you need, and it gets the same check.

    • 1:1
    • Weekly

  4. Truth House

    Truth House is housing at night for people already in Exist PHP or IOP, and insurance does not cover it.

    • Nights
    • Not covered

How PHP and IOP differ when we check your plan.

The week

PHP

Five full clinical days, Monday through Friday.

IOP

Three to five half days a week.

Nights

PHP

At home or at Truth House.

IOP

At home or at Truth House.

What we ask Blue Shield

PHP

How your plan treats partial hospitalization.

IOP

How your plan treats intensive outpatient.

What we will not print

PHP

A copay the plan has not confirmed.

IOP

A promise that the plan will pay.

Paying with Blue Shield.

Benefits vary by plan, so we check the one on your card before you start and write back within one business day.

Talk to admissions
  • Aetna
  • Blue Shield of California
  • UnitedHealthcare
  • Optum
  • Magellan Health
  • Cigna
  • Anthem Blue Cross
  • Kaiser Permanente

  • Network status

    Your plan tells us whether Exist is in network for you, and we pass that answer along the way the plan gave it.

  • Out of network

    Many plans still pay back part of PHP or IOP out of network, and we work out that part with you before you start.

  • Private pay

    If insurance does not cover the level of care you need, admissions will talk through a private pay plan with you.

Starting takes one conversation.

  1. 01

    Call or send the form

    Call (949) 670-9345 or send the insurance form, and you will talk to the clinic, not a call center.

  2. 02

    Share the member ID

    We need the member ID and the date of birth on the plan to ask Blue Shield about your benefits.

  3. 03

    Hear back and decide

    We write back within one business day, and admissions helps you choose PHP, IOP, outpatient care, or a referral.

(949) 670-9345

Questions about Blue Shield, answered plainly.

Many Blue Shield of California plans include mental health benefits for PHP and IOP. Benefits vary by plan, so we check yours and write back within one business day. Verification is not a guarantee of payment.

Something we didn’t cover? Call (949) 670-9345 — you talk to the clinic, not a call center.

Next stepTalk to admissionsAdmissions can tell you what a week of PHP or IOP looks like while we check your Blue Shield benefits.The admissions page

Start with one call to admissions.

Call Exist and we will check your Blue Shield of California plan for PHP, IOP, and outpatient care. If Exist is not the right fit for you, we will help you find a referral.

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Courtney Tracy, LCSW, PsyD · Reviewed September 2026

Talk to admissions(949) 670-9345
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