Mental Health
How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk
United used an algorithm system to identify patients who it determined were getting too much therapy and then limited coverage. It was deemed illegal in three states, but similar practices persist due to a patchwork of regulation.
Arizona Cracked Down on Medicaid Fraud That Targeted Native Americans. It Left Patients Without Care.
Arizona suspended scores of behavioral health providers as authorities investigated them for defrauding the American Indian Health Program. The state’s actions left patients homeless and without treatment.
New Biden Administration Rules Aim to Hold Insurers Accountable for Mental Health Care Coverage
The regulations will force health insurance plans to collect and report more data on how they limit and deny mental health claims. ProPublica’s reporting has found that insurers regularly shortchange patients seeking treatment.
“I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network
Ravi Coutinho bought a health insurance plan thinking it would deliver on its promise of access to mental health providers. But even after 21 phone calls and multiple hospitalizations, no one could find him a therapist.
Impact of Our Reporting
Mississippi Lawmakers Move to Limit the Jail Detentions of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment
Supporters say the measure is a step forward in curbing the number of people jailed during civil commitment. But some local officials say the impact will be limited unless the state makes other changes, including adding psychiatric beds.
Local Reporting Network
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Chair Calls for More Mental Health Care Providers in Rural Areas
Citing ProPublica’s reporting on the barriers faced by veterans in crisis, Sen. Jon Tester asked VA Secretary Denis McDonough to increase the number of providers and ensure they are “in locations where veterans need them most.”
After Decades of Imprisoning Patients, Idaho Approves Secure Mental Health Facility
The Idaho Legislature has approved funding for a 26-bed facility after ProPublica found that state lawmakers and officials ignored repeated warnings about the practice of locking up mentally ill patients who hadn’t been convicted of a crime.
Series
Series: America’s Mental Barrier: How Insurers Interfere With Mental Health Care
