Sacramento is a "geographic managed care" county — the state's experiment lab — so Medi-Cal members here are spread across several plans: Anthem, Health Net, Molina, Kaiser, and others. Medi-Cal managed care has no copay for covered care. Share of Cost is different: if your eligibility notice lists it, ask what you must pay or owe before Medi-Cal pays.⁴ Two doors, same as everywhere in California — plus one thing Sacramento does that most counties don't.
Door 1: Your plan — anxiety, depression, stress, grief
Call member services on your card and say:
"I'm requesting outpatient therapy. Please give me therapists taking new patients, and an appointment within 10 business days per the timely access standard."
The 10-business-day rule is law for Medi-Cal managed care.¹ Missed → say "grievance" → DMHC Help Center 1-888-466-2219.
Door 2: The county Access Team — (916) 875-1055
Sacramento County's Mental Health Access Team screens and refers for specialty mental health.² Call (916) 875-1055 and say:
"I have Medi-Cal. I'd like a screening and a referral to ongoing therapy."
The insider fact: Sacramento also takes specialty care requests through an online service request form (mentalhealthservicerequest.saccounty.net).² You fill it out in about ten minutes, any hour you actually have the nerve to do it — which for a lot of people is 11 pm, not business hours. The Access Team calls you back. If phone tag is what's stopped you before, use the form.
Under the No Wrong Door policy, whichever door you pick must connect you to the right one — no bouncing.³
What happens next: screening (15–20 min, phone) → referral to a county clinic or contracted provider → intake scheduled. Quiet for more than a week? Call the Access Team back and ask for the status of your service request — it's logged under your name.
Sacramento County's own page: the crisis line we read off the county's own site, the date we checked it, and the three routes that work there →
Q&A
Q: How do I get therapy with Medi-Cal in Sacramento? A: Call your plan (Anthem, Health Net, Molina, or Kaiser card) for everyday needs, or the county Access Team at (916) 875-1055 — or the online form at mentalhealthservicerequest.saccounty.net — for specialty care. Ask about coverage and any Share of Cost.⁴
Our directory has not opened. These public routes are usable now. See the directory status →
Ask before your visit: “Is this covered by my Medi-Cal? Does my eligibility show Share of Cost, and what would I owe?”
Sources
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 28, §1300.67.2.2(c)(5)(E) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov — the same timeframes are stated in the statute at Health & Safety Code §1367.03(a)(5), which is the citation we rely on.
- Sacramento County BHS, Mental Health Access Team — dhs.saccounty.gov · online form: mentalhealthservicerequest.saccounty.net
- DHCS BHIN 22-011, No Wrong Door — dhcs.ca.gov
- DHCS, Medi-Cal Help: managed-care copayments and Share of Cost; the eligibility Notice of Action states whether Share of Cost applies and its amount — dhcs.ca.gov. Source checked September 7, 2026; legal review remains pending.
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