'Alarming': Report slams health insurers for ignoring mental health coverage law

More in this series The U.S. Department of Labor found widespread noncompliance and violations of federal law in how health plans and insurers cover mental health care, findings that mirror a recent ProPublica investigation. The report, which the agencies are required to file regularly to Congress, also detailed the results of secret shopper surveys of more than 4,300 mental health providers listed in insurance directories and found an “alarming proportion” were “unresponsive or unreachable.” Such error-ridden plans, commonly known as ghost networks, make it harder for patients to get the treatment they need, ProPublica has previously found. ProPublica has spent the last year investigating how insurers interfere with mental health treatment, including employing aggressive tactics that push therapists out of network; deploying an algorithmic system to limit coverage; creating ghost networks; cutting access to treatment for children with autism; relying on doctors whose judgments have been criticized by courts; and using patients’ progress to justify denials. The Labor Department regulates insurance plans for about 136 million Americans who receive health coverage through their employers and is responsible for enforcing federal protections around their mental health claims. Timothy Hauser, a deputy assistant secretary of labor, said in an interview on the day of the report’s release that the agency is investigating the oversight and management of doctors hired by insurance companies who repeatedly deny mental health coverage for patients — and may open additional investigations.