Ghosted: Desperately Seeking Mental Health Care

The nationwide shortage of providers is well-known. But little known “ghost networks” also play an insidious and hidden role. That’s when insurers’ directories, seemingly full of in-network providers, turn out to be badly out of date, inaccurate or deceptive. Finding a doctor or therapist who will see you can take countless hours of phone calls and still prove fruitless. One mother called 73 doctors in her plan’s network when seeking help for her daughter’s anxiety — none were available within two months. For someone already deep in a crisis, this kind of bureaucratic ordeal couldn’t come at a worse time. Missed or delayed treatment can worsen a downward spiral, or even turn fatal for those struggling with addiction or suicidal thoughts. Critics say that the widespread problem makes a mockery of mental health parity — the idea that mental health coverage should be as robust as health care for other conditions. Last month, the Biden administration announced plans to impose new requirements on insurers to ensure patients can access providers in their mental networks. Will it work? In this webinar, we’ll examine the challenge facing many Americans when trying to access mental health care through commercial health plans, ask why these problems are so stubbornly persistent, and explore what can be done to lessen the gap between physical and mental health care in this country. We’ll also share story ideas and strategies, since these barriers to mental health care exist in every community.