Good Mental Health Care Should Be Easy to Get and Easy to Afford.
But Insurance Companies Keep
Getting in the Way.
Has this Ever Happened to You?
You try to make an appointment with a therapist…
…but you keep hitting dead ends in your insurance company’s list of providers—no answer, not taking new patients, not practicing anymore, not taking your insurance anymore. That’s a “ghost network” and the insurance company does it because they make more profit by making it hard for you to get care.
Your doctor prescribes medication to treat your mental health condition…
…and your insurance company won’t cover it unless you try other, cheaper medications first and they don’t work. That’s called “step therapy” or “fail first” and it interferes with a decision that should be between you and your doctor.
Your doctor recommends treatment like a residential substance use disorder facility…
…but your insurance company won’t cover it or cuts treatment short because
they say it’s not medically necessary. They make up their own secret rules about whether you should get the care you need—that’s just wrong.
Let’s Change the System.
It’s time to update the rules so insurance companies can’t deny mental health and substance use care to the millions of people who need it every day.
