Good Mental Health Care Should Be Easy to Get and Easy to Afford
When you or someone you love needs mental health care, it shouldn’t come down to a denial letter.
But across the country, people are paying more for coverage that covers less — forced to fight their insurance company just to see a therapist, fill a prescription, or get help in a crisis.
Insurance bureaucrats are making decisions that belong to patients and doctors. And too often, those decisions mean delays, denials, or no care at all.
We’re urging policymakers to make commonsense changes so mental health care is:
- Easier to access — no more endless delays or red tape
- More affordable — coverage that actually covers care
- Decided by doctors, not insurance companies
Because health is health — and mental health care should be treated like it.
Mental Health Care Shouldn’t Come with a Fight
But too often, insurance companies delay, deny, or limit care — forcing people to fight for treatment when they need it most.
This is why we launched “Care That’s Fair,” a national campaign to end insurance industry practices that systematically deny, delay, and limit Americans’ access to mental health care.
What problem is Care That’s Fair addressing?
Millions of Americans are unable to access mental health and substance use care due to a combination of workforce shortages, insurance barriers, and unaffordable out-of-pocket costs — leaving far too many without the treatment they need.
- Nearly half of Americans with a mental health condition receive no treatment; more than 80 percent of people with a substance use disorder go without care.
- 144 million Americans live in areas without enough mental health professionals — often a direct consequence of insurance — driven barriers that push providers out of networks.
- Patients are increasingly relying on platforms like GoFundMe to pay for mental health treatment their insurers deny.
What is the Care That’s Fair policy agenda?
Care That’s Fair will push lawmakers at the state and federal levels to address three categories of reform:
Ensuring Coverage: Guaranteeing coverage for all medically necessary mental health and substance use treatments; aligning “medical necessity” determinations with clinical standards; and holding insurers accountable for violating the law.
Improving Access: Eliminating prior authorization barriers; ending step-therapy policies that force patients to try lower — cost, less — effective medications first; and requiring accurate, up-to-date provider directories.
Making Care Affordable: Ensuring that insurance companies actually cover the care they promise and people pay for with their premiums; limiting out-of-pocket costs; and ending surprise bills for mental health treatment.
What can I do to support Care That’s Fair?
- Join the movement for fair care by signing our petition.
- Share your story to help educate policymakers and inspire others to share.
- Amplify our message on your social media by sharing the videos and graphics in our toolkit.
Your Stories
Your experience helps power change. When you share your story, you help policymakers better understand who they are advocating for and why these changes are so important.
Campaign Toolkit
Help us get the word out about Care That’s Fair by sharing our videos and social media graphics. Don’t forget to use our hashtag #CareThatsFair
