Legal Promise Of Equal Mental Health Treatment Often Falls Short

Amanda Bacon’s eating disorder was growing worse. She had lost 60% of her body weight and was consuming about 100 calories a day.

 

But that wasn’t sick enough for her Medicaid managed-care company to cover an inpatient treatment program. She was told in 2017 that she would have to weigh 10 pounds less — putting her at 5-foot-7 and 90 pounds — or be admitted to a psychiatric unit.

 

“I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to die,’” the Las Cruces, N.M., resident recalled recently.

 

Eventually, Bacon, now 35, switched to a plan that paid for treatment, although she said it was still tedious to get services approved.

 

Many patients like Bacon struggle to get insurance coverage for their mental health treatment, even though two federal laws were designed to bring parity between mental and physical health care coverage. Recent studies and a legal case suggest serious disparities remain.