Dear Reader,
Have you ever wondered why it can be so hard to find a therapist who takes insurance?
If you need a doctor, you can reasonably expect to find one in your insurance network, call them up and get treated. Not so for mental health care. Even if you’re able to find a rare, in-network therapist or treatment center, you can still face battles with insurers unwilling to cover the treatment you or your loved one needs. For most of us, the inner workings of health insurers are a black box: Requests to cover treatment go in, and approvals or rejections are spit out. But our newsroom has shined a light on how these critical health care decisions are made and revealed consequences that for some can mean the difference between life and death.
Over the past year, ProPublica’s “America’s Mental Barrier” series has exposed a vast underlying crisis of access, one not being adequately addressed by the government, the courts or anyone else in power. With help from thousands of crowdsourced tips, explosive internal company documents and shattering personal stories of patients for whom care was prematurely cut off, our reporters are revealing how insurance companies interfere with access to mental health care. And how people in pain are paying the price. This series was named a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist for explanatory reporting.
Our reporters found insurers:
This reporting has reverberated through professional associations and state board meetings, and it inspired regulators to intervene. A January federal report found widespread noncompliance and violations of federal law in how health plans and insurers cover mental health care, echoing our findings. (UnitedHealthcare, Cigna and Blue Cross and Blue Shield did not respond to requests for comment for our stories, but in the past they have said they employ licensed physicians to conduct reviews and work to ensure that doctors issue appropriate coverage decisions.)
One particularly heartwrenching ProPublica story was turned into a radio play, performed by actors Oscar Isaac, Kathryn Erbe and Bill Camp, with the hope of inspiring a public conversation about the challenges many Americans face accessing mental health care when they need it most.
And yet, as the crisis continues, so must our sustained spotlighting on wrongdoing. In August we reported that just months into President Donald Trump’s second term, 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. That pause could lead more Americans to go without care. But our reporting will continue.
Investigations like these are time-consuming and expensive. We’re able to produce this kind of journalism because of readers like you. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on donations from individuals for the majority of our funding. Today, I’m asking you to join ProPublica with a donation of any amount.
Give today and stand up for powerful journalism that shines a light on stories that make a real difference.
Thanks so much,
Jessica Rojas
Proud ProPublican
