Having Insurance Isn’t Enough to Access Mental Health Care
For families and patients trying to get mental health care, having insurance can be just the beginning of the struggle. Inaccurate provider directories, long waits, denied claims, reimbursement problems, and cuts to Medicaid can all make it harder to actually get treatment. Repairing America reporter Misha Valencia looks at why the system is so difficult to navigate — and the policy changes advocates say could make mental health care more accessible.
How to Fix America’s Broken Mental Health System
When Jessica Bachman’s young son began struggling with anxiety, she assumed their health insurance would help her find the care he needed. Instead, she spent years navigating a revolving door of therapists, inadequate provider networks, and insurance barriers, even as his condition worsened. Her family's ordeal reflects a much larger crisis in American mental health care, where getting treatment can require extraordinary time, money, and persistence. But advocates say reforms to insurance practices, stronger enforcement of existing laws, and greater accountability could make care more accessible for families like hers.
From the Reporter’s Notebook 📓
As a journalist who frequently reports on health care, this piece was an opportunity to take a nuanced look at the current barriers to accessing mental health treatment. My research and interviews with different sources, including policy experts, clinicians, and caregivers, highlight how delays in accessing care can harm patients. This is also a critical moment in mental health; there are currently several pending federal bills that address many longstanding barriers to clinical services. Many Americans report being frustrated with the current political landscape, but these proposed bills—combined with active constituent engagement—present a real opportunity to address some of the challenges that many face when seeking behavioral health support.
Next Up in the Series: AI
AI is being sold as the answer to everything. But what happens when algorithms cut people’s access to health care, data centers disrupt entire communities, and corporations gain new powers of surveillance? Next week, Ryan Biller examines the human cost of unchecked AI—and why the fight for accountability is becoming impossible to ignore.
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About the Series: What Would It Take to Actually Fix This Country?
Our new series looks past the churn of daily news to interrogate the systems shaping American life, and offers tangible fixes to the problems we collectively face.
Read the full introduction to the series here.