Mental Health Parity

I have been working with clients as a psychotherapist for 40 years…. long enough to witness just how difficult insurance companies make it for clients to access benefits for mental health care, not to mention how difficult they make it for providers to be paid for their services.

Today I came across the attached article and had to share it with you right away. The Biden Administration has announced that it is finalizing a proposal to hold insurance companies accountable for mental health care coverage on the same basis that they cover physical health ailments.

Despite the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, as well as updates to the legislation in 2008 and 2020, there are still too many loopholes that exist and too many ways that insurance companies can bury clients and therapists in paperwork, holding up the important and often lifesaving work therapy provides.

The Biden Administration is now putting forth new rules that aim to prohibit this excessive paperwork found in processes like restrictive prior authorizations. These new rules also endeavor to close loopholes that still exist at the local and state government levels, which have exempted some sponsored health plans from the requirements of mental health parity.

I still see in my practice every day the ways in which these insurance companies will go to great lengths to avoid covering my therapy services. Some plans don’t offer mental health benefits at all. Still others require higher copays and deductibles for mental health services. Despite efforts at mental health parity, these coverage discrepancies can lead to delayed or denied treatment, financial hardships, and further the stigma that still exists around mental health treatment. They also make it harder for therapists to keep their practices up and running and accessible to clients. Some plans reimburse for mental health services at such low rates, it can even impact the survival of a private practice.

I was encouraged today to read this article and am hopeful that it will lead to the changes necessary to finally make mental health a priority and accessible and affordable for everyone. The best way to move these efforts forward is to talk about the continued coverage discrepancies. Write to your representatives, share your stories, and make sure your voices are heard. As a therapist, I will continue to advocate for strict enforcement of parity laws. It is not a stigma to ask for help when we need it. We must come together to hold insurance companies accountable for covering mental health care equally and fairly.

You can find a link to the article I referenced here: https://apple.news/AKhzG0BmSSDqRECOL0SDT7w