More than 20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found. Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform inspections and combat deadly outbreaks.
But just months after Trump returned to the presidency, his administration paused new rules issued in President Joe Biden’s final months that were designed to strengthen mental health protections and hold insurance companies accountable when they unlawfully denied coverage. The pause came after a trade group representing large employers on employee benefits policy sued to block the regulations. The Trump administration then asked the courts to pause the lawsuit while it considered whether to rescind or modify the rules.
Experts warn that suspending the mental health coverage rules could mean serious consequences: longer waits when patients challenge insurance decisions, fewer investigations of possible violations of federal law and more people going without care.
It’s hard to know if your health insurance plan is as good as advertised. You pay a monthly premium to access a network of health providers. But call the numbers in your provider directory and you’re bound to find ones who can’t — or won’t — see you.
These errors are at the heart of a problem more and more patients are encountering: ghost networks. Some providers have moved, retired or even died; others left insurance networks because of low pay and intense scrutiny. That means even though these providers no longer accept your insurance, their names may remain in the directory.
Insurers’ failures to correct these errors have led to dire consequences for people seeking mental health care, an investigation by ProPublica has found, including out-of-network bills, treatment delays and no treatment at all.
Our reporters spoke with experts, clinicians and advocates to understand the challenges posed by provider directory errors and the specific ways you can navigate a ghost network.
