Did you know that anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States and it affects approximately 40 million Americans?1 That is more than the number of people who subscribed to Netflix in the U.S. in 2015.2 May is Mental Health Awareness and we wanted to make sure you know what your health insurance plan covers. If you’re suffering from anxiety, depression or any of the other hundreds of mental and behavioral issues that affect Americans every day, there is help available and it’s important to know that you’re not alone.
Nearly 16 million people had a major depressive episode in 2014. That’s enough to fill every major league baseball and football stadium in the country.3 Getting help wasn’t always as easy as it is today. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) extended the MHPAEA provisions and expanded health and substance abuse coverage to an estimated 62 million Americans.4
Under the ACA, mental health and addiction treatment are considered among the essential health benefits that the ACA requires all major medical plans to cover. That means your health insurance likely covers:
- Preventative services like depression screening in adults and behavioral assessments for children
- Medications
- Rehabilitative services
- Outpatient and inpatient treatments
If you or someone you know needs help, encourage them to take advantage of the health insurance benefits available to them under their plan.
1kimfoundation.org
2mentalhealthamerica.net
3apa.org
4mentalhealth.gov
