Insurance & Costs

How to use mental health benefits under commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and employer plans — including parity rules, appeals, and reducing out-of-pocket costs.

Self-Employed Mental Health Insurance: ACA Marketplace, Health Sharing Ministries, and Direct Primary Care

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Elena, a 38-year-old freelance UX designer in Austin, left a salaried role at a software company in March to go independent. She had been managing generalized anxiety with weekly therapy at $25 copays and a low-dose SSRI. Six weeks into self-employment, her COBRA continuation premium for the same plan ran $749 a month for individual … Read more

Mental Health Parity Violations: How to Recognise When Your Insurance Plan Is Breaking the Law and File a Complaint

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Mental Health Parity Is the Law That Most Patients Do Not Know They Have Federal law has required most health plans to cover mental health care at the same level as medical care since the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act passed in 2008. The law was strengthened by the Affordable Care Act, which extended parity … Read more