Why is it so hard to get medical coverage for mental health issues?
There are several factors that make acquiring medical coverage for mental illness difficult. First, insurance companies often restrict benefits available to individuals with mental illness by placing greater limits on their use (i.e. by restricting the annual amount of inpatient and outpatient services covered) or by imposing greater cost sharing than for other medical needs. Second, many insurance companies refuse to cover illnesses or conditions they believe to be preexisting. Simply put, if you have had a diagnosed mental illness for many years, securing insurance could be difficult or very costly. Finally, insurance companies may feel that mental illness diagnoses are not accurate and therefore will refuse to pay for medical treatment associated with that illness. There are legislative efforts to require insurance companies to pay for mental illness the same as they do for physical illness.
