Mental health parity defines the equivalent treatment of mental health conditions and substance use disorders in specific insurance plans. When a plan experiences parity, it means that if an individual is provided unlimited doctor visits for a chronic condition like diabetes then they must offer unlimited visits for a mental health condition such as depression or schizophrenia. However, parity doesn 't mean that an individual will get good mental health coverage. Due to research and multiple sources comprehensive parity requires equal coverage, not necessarily "good" coverage. If the health insurance plan is very limited, then mental health coverage will be compromised even in a state with a strong law or in a plan that is subject to another nature of parity.
Don’t all health insurance plans include coverage for mental health services? Isn’t that what the mental health parity law means for my coverage? Unfortunately, not all health insurance plans include coverage for mental health services. The mental health parity
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A provider may choose not to accept insurance for any number of reasons, including the low rates at which some insurers will reimburse the provider for their services. As a result, some plans have difficulty attracting mental health providers to participate in their network.
To find a provider who does accept the insurance, one can look at the in-network options. Consider speaking with a clinician who you trust to see if they know any of the professionals listed. Because psychologists and psychiatrists are amongst the providers who may not accept insurance, one may also research other types of mental health providers who are more likely to be covered. If an individual’s health insurance plan will reimburse for out-of-network coverage, the math should be done to see and understand if this is a way to afford seeing the clinician of your