Colorado Insurance Companies Fail to Provide Equal Access to Mental Health Care

New study finds behavioral health coverage across insurance companies – both in Colorado and throughout the country – is more limited than physical health coverage. Reimbursement rates for behavioral health have fallen dramatically behind primary care, forcing individuals to seek services out-of-network at higher costs.

Denver, December 4, 2019 — In the midst of an opioid epidemic and alarming suicide rates, Coloradans are finding it increasingly difficult to access affordable behavioral health care under their private insurance plans. A groundbreaking nationwide study by Milliman, an international actuarial firm — documented widening disparities in access to in-network services for mental health and substance use disorder treatment among 37 million employees and their families – shedding new light on this disturbing trend over a five-year period beginning in 2013.