Item 11 of 15
Weekly therapy for depressionA 34-year-old with a Marketplace plan wants to start seeing a licensed therapist once a week.
Does health insurance pay for it?
Correct. Not quite. Mental health and substance use treatment is an essential health benefit, so Marketplace and small-group plans must cover it. Federal parity law adds that plans offering these benefits cannot apply stricter limits to them than to medical care, which rules out arbitrary caps on the number of visits. The practical obstacle is the network: many therapists do not accept insurance. Search the plan’s directory first, and ask what the plan reimburses if no in-network therapist has openings.
More: Your Doctor Is “In-Network.” So Why Is Your Medical Bill Still So High?