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 the 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 spoke to hundreds of psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists in nearly all 50 states, from rural communities to big cities.
The interviews underscore how the nation’s insurers—quietly, and with minimal pushback from lawmakers and regulators—have assumed an outsize role in mental health care.
It is often the insurers, not the therapists, that determine who can get treatment, what kind they can get and for how long. More than a dozen therapists said insurers urged them to reduce care when their patients were on the brink of harm, including suicide.
Several insurers told ProPublica that they are committed to ensuring access to mental health providers, emphasizing that their plans are in compliance with state and federal laws. Insurers also said they have practices in place to make sure reimbursement rates reflect market value.
Therapists have tried to stick it out.
They have forgone denied payments.
They have taken second jobs.
They have sought therapy for their own support.
But the hundreds who spoke with ProPublica said they each faced a moment in which they decided they had to leave the network.
Artist Bios
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Tony Luong
Originally from Clinton, Connecticut, Tony Luong is a photographer based in Boston. He received an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. His work has been exhibited in Boston and New York and has appeared in various magazines such as The Atlantic, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker and TIME, among others.
Organizations
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ProPublica
ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force. We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust — and we stick with those issues as long as it takes to hold power to account. Find us at propublica.org.
Why Is It So Hard to Find a Therapist Who Takes Insurance?
Featuring: Tony Luong
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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Reporting by Annie Waldman, Maya Miller, Duaa Eldeib and Max Blau, photography by Tony Luong, special to ProPublica, design by Zisiga Mukulu. Kirsten Berg and Jeff Ernsthausen contributed reporting and research. Agnel Philip contributed data analysis. Art direction by Alex Bandoni. Additional design and development by Allen Tan.
The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
