For many people living with a mental health condition, access to the full range of the most effective medical products is a crucial component of successful treatment and wellness. In combination with other services and supports, such products are often essential for people with mental health conditions to thrive in wellness.  

Join our advocacy email list to get updates about issues and actions you can take on behalf of people living with mood disorders. When you subscribe to the DBSA advocacy platform, you’ll also receive timely action alerts informing you as to when it is most advantageous to contact your lawmaker. Fill out this short form and we’ll add you to the list!

Join Our Movement

Medications in the same class for the treatment of mental health conditions are not necessarily interchangeable. Yet barriers exist preventing people from obtaining the medication most appropriate for them. For example,

  • prior authorization requires the individual to obtain approval from the plan before the plan will reimburse the cost of the medication,
  • step-therapy requires an individual to try a medication recommended by the plan and fail first before the clinician-recommended medication is reimbursed, and
  • non-medical switching requires prior approval from the plan before an existing prescription can be renewed.

These practices are dangerous and can result in people experiencing an onset of serious symptoms with devastating results

  • increased financial burden due to unanticipated medical costs,
  • deterioration of overall health, and
  • diminished quality of life.

In the most serious of circumstance these practices could lead to death by suicide when a successful treatment plan has been altered through delayed access to medication.

Can’t find a Prescriber?

Each person’s insurance coverage is unique, but there is one question that sums up the challenges of financial burden and timeliness of care: How difficult is it to get an appointment within a reasonable timeframe with a psychiatrist listed in your insurance network?

To better understand the patient and family experience in addressing these challenges, DBSA distributed a survey entitled “Seeking Care from ‘In-Network’ Psychiatrists”. The intent of the survey is to provide a forum for patients and their families to share their experience with insurance networks. Responses to survey questions are presented in our white paper listed below with the hope that policy-makers will understand the experience of patients and family members with insurance networks.

Insurance Network Adequacy: Psychiatrist

Stay Connected
Join our mailing list to learn about our upcoming programs, services, and ways you can become involved.