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 psychiatrist, all ACA 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.

We recommend checking out this article to see what other treatments ACA health plans are required by law to cover: What kinds of treatment do the health plans listed on Stride cover?

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 differ for every carrier, but most plans seem to require pre-authorization.

How to look up mental health coverage:

If you have more questions about what is covered under a specific health plan, we recommend you first look at the plan’s Summary of Benefits and Coverage. The Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) is an easy-to-read summary that lets you compare the different features of health benefits and coverage. The SBC contains a snapshot of a health plan’s cost, benefits, covered health services, and other features that are important to know. 

Note: You can find a link to a health plan’s SBC by clicking the “Details” button when reviewing available health plans on Stride. When you select one of the coverage detail categories (from 'Prescription Drugs' down through 'Out-of-network coverage'), there’s a dropdown that’ll read “Need even more info? View the full summary of coverage” when the SBC is available. If there isn’t a link, you can check the carrier’s website or even input “[plan name] + Summary of Benefits and Coverage” into your favorite search engine.

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