Therapists Are Leaving Health Insurance Networks. Here's Why

Although federal law requires insurers to provide the same access to mental and physical health care, these companies have been caught, time and again, shortchanging customers with mental illness — restricting coverage and delaying or denying treatment.

These patients — whose disorders can be chronic and costly — are bad for business, industry insiders told ProPublica.

“The way to look at mental health care from an insurance perspective is: I don’t want to attract those people. I am never going to make money on them,” said Ron Howrigon, a consultant who used to manage contracts with providers for major insurers. “One way to get rid of those people or not get them is to not have a great network.”

There are nowhere near enough available therapists in insurance networks to serve all of the people seeking care. And although almost all Americans are insured, about half of people with mental illness are unable to access treatment.

The consequences can be devastating.

To understand the forces that drive even the most well-intentioned therapists from insurance networks, ProPublica plunged into a problem most often explored in statistics and one-off perspectives. Reporters spoke to hundreds of providers in nearly all 50 states, from rural communities to big cities.

Clubhouse Ohio

Clubhouse Ohio, a coalition to improve community support for those living with mental illness, released an updated video sharing the clubhouse model, celebrating the expansion across the state, and introducing Ohio Clubhouses.

CLUBHOUSE OHIO MISSION STATEMENT: The purpose of this coalition is to establish and enhance accredited Clubhouses across the state of Ohio. We intend to pursue and accomplish the following goals: Identify communities that will benefit from the Clubhouse Model and assist in the development of Accredited Clubhouses. Enhance awareness of the needs within the mental health community and provide education on how the Clubhouse Model helps to fill critical gaps missing in our current healthcare system. Reduce stigma for those living with mental illness. We want to ensure that the entirety of our Clubhouse Community is viewed with dignity and respect. Continue to work in collaboration with agencies at the state and local level to ensure there are opportunities for our members to gain and maintain employment or further education. Develop relationships with employers across the state of Ohio to improve Transitional Employment opportunities for individuals living with mental illness. https://www.clubhouseohio.org.

CareSource Project ECHO - Treatment Resistant Psychosis Program

CareSource Project ECHO is partnered with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to support providers working with individuals experiencing symptoms of psychosis that persist despite treatment, commonly known as treatment resistant psychosis. Healthcare professionals from all disciplines that interact with these individuals are encouraged to join us on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, beginning July 2024 through December 2024, for live, interactive, case-based learning and free continuing education credits. Click here to view the flyer.

To register, please email [email protected] 

Amid Youth Mental Health Crisis, Ohio School-Based Behavioral Health Services Grow

Youth mental health has worsened across the country since the pandemic. Ohio has been no exception. A third of Ohio students reported challenges with anxiety, and more than 100,000 high school aged youth reported experiencing depression, according to a 2022 survey.

But there is a bright spot. Ohio has more school-based mental health resources than it did seven years ago. The number of partnerships between community behavioral health centers and schools has more than doubled since 2017, according to the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Service Providers. In the last year alone, the state has seen around a 20% increase in schools offering these services. That’s a step in the right direction, said Teresa Lampl, the council’s executive director. Community behavioral health centers typically offer mental health and substance use services to people regardless of ability to pay. More than 3,000 Ohio schools enlisted their help last school year to provide counseling, preventative screenings and crisis intervention in the classroom. Lampl said they’ve also developed programming to teach students coping skills.

Even with the increased focus on youth mental health, Lampl said accessing care is still a challenge for many young people in Ohio. There’s a shortage of mental health professionals to meet the demand, she said. Her organization’s report found that full-time employee vacancies at community behavioral health centers increased by 11% between last school year and the one before. That could stifle the centers’ ability to fill gaps at Ohio schools.