Finding a plan with the right mental health coverage

Here are some tips for finding coverage for mental health! If you're planning to see a therapist, psychologist, or a psychiatrist, most ACA all plans are required to offer some mental health coverage. The higher the metal tier, the more coverage you have - in this case it generally means lower copays for mental health visits. It’s best to look for plans that have set copays rather than coinsurance for mental health visits.

Free preventative benefits include:

• Depression and alcohol misuse screening and counseling for adults and adolescents
• Depression screening and tobacco use screening and cessation interventions
• Autism screening and behavioral assessments for children

Note: Referral or pre-authorization requirements for mental health visits differs for every carrier, but most plans seem to require pre-authorization.

How to look up mental health coverage:

If you have questions about your insurance plan, we recommend you first look at your plan’s enrollment materials, or any other information you have on the plan, to see what the coverage levels are for all benefits. A provision of the Affordable Care Act is that health insurers are required to provide you with a Summary of Benefits and Coverage about your benefits including mental health benefits, which should make it easier to see what your coverage is.

Feel free to browse through some of the health plans available in your area now! Click here.