Mental Health Care: Consumers with Coverage Face Access Challenges

Can people with mental health care coverage easily access services? We looked at challenges they experience, and federal efforts to improve access to mental health services.

We testified that people may have difficulty finding in-network mental health providers. Representatives from most of the 29 stakeholder organizations we contacted said low provider reimbursement rates contributed to this problem. For example, some said providers can get paid more outside of plans’ networks.

Federal efforts include trying to improve access to in-network mental health providers and improve oversight of mental health care coverage laws.

What GAO Found

Based on stakeholders interviewed and research reviewed, GAO found that consumers with coverage for mental health care...