America’s Mental Barrier

How Insurers Interfere With Mental Health Care

American insurance companies — quietly, and with little government pushback — have assumed an outsize role in mental health care. People in pain are paying the price.

Impact of Our Reporting

He Died Without Getting Mental Health Care He Sought. A New Lawsuit Says His Insurer’s Ghost Network Is to Blame.

by Max Blau

June 2, 2025, 5:00 am EDT

Insurers Failed to Comply With Mental Health Coverage Law, Department of Labor Report Finds

by Duaa Eldeib, Maya Miller, Annie Waldman and Max Blau

January 24, 2025, 6:00 am EST

16 stories published since 2024

Insurer Agrees to Pay Millions for Failing to Fix Errors That Made It Harder for Customers to Get Mental Health Care

by Max Blau

February 19, 2026, 1:25 pm EST
This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It.

by Duaa Eldeib

October 7, 2025, 5:00 am EDT
“Just Let Me Die”: After Insurance Repeatedly Denied a Couple’s Claims, One Psychiatrist Was Their Last Hope

by Duaa Eldeib, photography by Sarah Blesener for ProPublica

September 10, 2025, 6:30 am EDT
Trump’s Rollback of Rules for Mental Health Coverage Could Lead More Americans to Go Without Care

by Maya Miller and Jeremy Kohler

August 18, 2025, 5:00 am EDT
Her Mental Health Treatment Was Helping. That’s Why Insurance Cut Off Her Coverage.

by Maya Miller and Duaa Eldeib

December 31, 2024, 5:00 am EST
Insurers Continue to Rely on Doctors Whose Judgments Have Been Criticized by Courts

by Duaa Eldeib and Maya Miller, with research by Kirsten Berg

December 30, 2024, 6:00 am EST
UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism

by Annie Waldman

December 13, 2024, 6:00 am EST
How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk

by Annie Waldman

November 19, 2024, 5:00 am EST
State Regulators Know Health Insurance Directories Are Full of Wrong Information. They’re Doing Little to Fix It.

by Max Blau

November 14, 2024, 12:01 pm EST
New Biden Administration Rules Aim to Hold Insurers Accountable for Mental Health Care Coverage

by Maya Miller and Annie Waldman

September 9, 2024, 1:45 pm EDT
“I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network

by Max Blau, illustrations by Vanessa Saba, special to ProPublica

September 8, 2024, 6:05 am EDT
Struggling to Find an In-Network Mental Health Provider? Here’s What You Can Do.

by Max Blau

September 8, 2024, 6:00 am EDT
What Mental Health Care Protections Exist in Your State?

by Annie Waldman and Maya Miller

August 27, 2024, 7:00 am EDT
Why It’s So Hard to Find a Therapist Who Takes Insurance

by Annie Waldman, Maya Miller, Duaa Eldeib and Max Blau, photography by Tony Luong, design by Zisiga Mukulu

August 25, 2024, 7:00 am EDT

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America’s Mental Barrier

He Died Without Getting Mental Health Care He Sought. A New Lawsuit Says His Insurer’s Ghost Network Is to Blame.

Insurers Failed to Comply With Mental Health Coverage Law, Department of Labor Report Finds

Insurer Agrees to Pay Millions for Failing to Fix Errors That Made It Harder for Customers to Get Mental Health Care

This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It.

“Just Let Me Die”: After Insurance Repeatedly Denied a Couple’s Claims, One Psychiatrist Was Their Last Hope

Trump’s Rollback of Rules for Mental Health Coverage Could Lead More Americans to Go Without Care

Her Mental Health Treatment Was Helping. That’s Why Insurance Cut Off Her Coverage.

Insurers Continue to Rely on Doctors Whose Judgments Have Been Criticized by Courts

UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism

How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk

State Regulators Know Health Insurance Directories Are Full of Wrong Information. They’re Doing Little to Fix It.

New Biden Administration Rules Aim to Hold Insurers Accountable for Mental Health Care Coverage

“I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network

Struggling to Find an In-Network Mental Health Provider? Here’s What You Can Do.

What Mental Health Care Protections Exist in Your State?

Why It’s So Hard to Find a Therapist Who Takes Insurance

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