So, you have health insurance. What mental health and substance use care can you get? From which providers? At what cost? Do your benefits compare to coverage for other types of medical conditions? To answer these questions NAMI surveyed over 2,700 people nationwide given new protections under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the Affordable Care Act.
Read all about it in NAMI’s new report: A Long Road Ahead: Achieving True Parity in Mental Health and Substance Use Care. Our survey found that people with mental illness and substance use disorders have trouble getting mental health care even when they have health insurance coverage. Specific problems found include:
- Significant difficulties in finding mental health providers in health plan networks;
- Denials for mental health care at rates far higher than for other types of medical care;
- Inadequate coverage of psychiatric medications in health insurance plans;
- High out of pocket costs in health insurance plans that sometimes cause people with mental illness or substance use disorders to forego needed care;
- Lack of transparency and information about health insurance plans that make it very difficult for consumers and families to make informed decisions about the plans that are best for them.
