Insurance firms can run on a paradoxical and destructive mindset when it comes to mental health treatment: individuals in crisis are written off as beyond rescuing while those improving in their mental health are seen to be no more in need of treatment. This cycle of denial not only overlooks the challenges of mental health recovery, but also maintains a system that leaves the most vulnerable individuals to navigate on their own.
Insurance denials can appear as a harsh punishment for individuals who are making progress on their mental health journey. Under the idea that they are “stable,” coverage is suddenly stopped even if continuity of care is necessary to keep that stability. Those in severe mental health crises, on the other hand, sometimes experience another type of denial—being called “untreatable,” therefore depriving them of the means they so much need to recover. This strategy ignores the fact that everyone needs access to treatment regardless of their position on the mental health spectrum and that recovery is not straightforward.
These programs have terrible effects. Those who lose coverage during their rehabilitation can revert, therefore weakening the progress they have achieved. For anyone denied care during a crisis, the results may be lethal. The fact that suicide rates continue to be shockingly high and many people with untreated mental health issues wind up in emergency rooms or, worse, the criminal justice system is not coincidental.
Although insurance companies defend these denials as cost-cutting strategies, the long-term expenses of untreated mental illness much exceed any immediate savings. Denying people access to care forces public systems—hospitals, shelters, and prisons—all of which are not suited to handle the complex demands of mental health treatment—to take on more responsibility.
What is one’s actionable response? First of all, legislators have to implement parity rules mandating insurance providers to address mental health issues equally with regard to physical health. Furthermore, how insurance firms decide on coverage calls for more responsibility and openness. None should be denied treatment since their condition is “too severe” or their recovery is judged “good enough.”
Mental health travels rather than being a destination. At every level, it calls for ongoing assistance, tools, and compassion. Insurance companies have to change their focus from temporary cost control to long-term investment in personal welfare. Lives rely on it.
By Adrian M.
Criminology, Law, and Society major at a UC with a strong passion for public policy, advocacy, and civil law. With experience in legal assistance and community service, they are dedicated to social justice and systemic reform.