May is Mental Health Awareness Month. But if we’re being honest, awareness is the easy part.
The hard part is what happens when someone finally works up the courage to ask for help. When a parent realizes their child is struggling in a way they can’t fix on their own. When a neighbor, a coworker or a friend quietly reaches a point where they know they can’t keep going the way they have been.
In those moments, people need insurance coverage that works when they reach out for help.
Mental health is essential health, and this must be reflected in how insurance coverage works in real life. Over the past few years, the New Hampshire Insurance Department has approached this issue with that reality in mind.
This has meant stronger enforcement of mental health parity laws, which require insurance coverage for mental health care to be treated fairly alongside coverage for physical health care. If an insurance plan makes it easier to get treatment for a physical condition than to access therapy or other behavioral health services, that isn’t just a paperwork problem. It can become a real barrier to care, and when it violates mental health parity laws, the Department will act.
Over the past year, the New Hampshire Insurance Department has taken enforcement action when insurance carriers have fallen short, including issuing fines where appropriate. Those carriers remain under corrective action plans to ensure they make the required improvements. At the same time, the Department has also seen meaningful progress. Our state’s largest health insurer, for example, has eliminated co-pays and deductibles for children receiving mental health services, an important step toward reducing barriers for families seeking care.
The Department has also worked to reduce administrative delays that can stand between patients and care. That includes helping mental health providers get approved to participate in insurance networks more quickly and expediting prior authorization reviews. When these steps mean someone can see a provider in weeks instead of months, it makes a real difference.
We’ve listened closely to medical providers, families and community organizations. We’ve heard about long waitlists, confusing coverage and systems that feel harder to navigate when you need them most. In some cases, the Department has also stepped in where organizations that serve families and children have faced insurance challenges that threaten their stability, including difficulty finding affordable liability coverage.
While we’ve moved in the right direction, our job is far from finished.
The Insurance Department will continue to examine and enforce mental health parity so it is not just a compliance requirement on paper, but a protection people can rely on when they seek care. In support of Gov. Ayotte’s priority to improve access to mental health care, we’re launching a major effort to reduce administrative burdens across the system for providers and insurers alike. The goal is to streamline processes and bring down costs while preserving safeguards and quality. A system that is easier for providers to navigate is one that works better for patients.
If you or someone you love needs help, there are a few practical steps that can make the process easier.
Start by calling the number on the back of your insurance card and asking for in-network behavioral health providers who are accepting new patients. If the list is overwhelming, say so and ask for assistance.
Use your insurer’s website to search for providers, filtering for behavioral health and availability. Your primary care provider can also help connect you.
Ask about telehealth. It’s commonly covered and can expand your options.
If you can’t find help or if something doesn’t feel right, call the Insurance Department at 603-271-2261. You don’t need to know exactly what to say, you just need to reach out. We can help.
At the end of the day, mental health care isn’t about regulations or reports. It’s about that moment, the one we often don’t see, when someone decides to ask for help.
When someone reaches out for help, the system should be ready to meet them. That is the standard Granite Staters deserve, and it is the standard the New Hampshire Insurance Department will continue working to uphold.
D.J. Bettencourt is the commissioner of the New Hampshire Insurance Department. He lives in Salem.