ProPublica Event: Barriers to Care: Navigating the U.S. Mental Health Crisis

The United States is reckoning with a mental health crisis. People are seeking out mental health care more than ever before, and many are presenting with more acute and complex symptoms. Yet ProPublica found that health insurers have created barriers for people trying to access this critical care at every step of the process.

From finding a therapist who accepts insurance to having insurance companies actually cover the treatment, ProPublica found that some of the largest health insurers have created a playbook that prevents people from getting the care they need. Some insurers rely on company doctors to approve or deny critical mental health coverage, even after courts have criticized their judgment. Companies have also used a patient’s progress against them, citing improvement as a reason to deny.

And the regulatory system meant to keep these companies in check is characterized by being patchwork, underfunded and poorly designed to meet today’s challenges, leaving massive gaps in enforcement. As a result, people who need mental health care are often left without it — leading to grave and sometimes deadly consequences.

Join ProPublica reporters as they share highlights from their investigative series. Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from expert panelists as they provide insights into the mental health crisis in the United States.

Speakers include:

Maya Miller, Propublica engagement reporter
Annie Waldman, ProPublica reporter
Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica reporter
Max Blau, ProPublica reporter
Steve Mills, ProPublica deputy Midwest editor
Robert L. Trestman, Ph.D. M.D., Carilion Clinic senior vice president and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Virginia Tech Carilon School of Medicine
Abigail Burman, consumer protection attorney who studies ghost networks

Read more of our “America’s Mental Barrier” coverage: https://www.propublica.org/series/ame...
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