The leading reason why Americans fail to seek mental health services for often debilitating diseases has nothing to do with stigma, availability, or quality of service. It simply comes down to cost. Lack of health insurance coverage and the rising expenses of medical care in general are the primary reasons why people don't access mental health services. However, most Americans don't know the details of their health insurance plans until they need treatment. Even though insurance companies are not allowed to assign steeper health insurance quotes for patients requiring mental health services, the perceived cost of seeking out these services is still a tremendous obstacle to getting help.

The Wellstone-Domenici Parity Act of 2008 closed legal loopholes that allowed insurance companies to impose arbitrary limitations on coverage and higher payments. The act, which has already taken effect, ensures parity between insurance coverage for mental health and coverage for physical health. It does not, however, require that insurance companies cover mental health and substance abuse. It only stipulates that if they do, they must do so at the same level at which they cover physical health services.

The good news is that many insurance plans do cover mental health services-their recipients simply may not be aware of it. People with health insurance provided by an employer should look into the details of their insurance plans. Does the insurance cover mental health, and to what extent? What kinds of mental health professionals are covered? Are their restrictions on the types of treatment covered by the insurance plan? These are all critical questions for people who benefit from employer insurance to answer, should they ever need to use mental health services.

For individuals buying private health insurance, it's important when looking up health insurance quotes to shop around. Cheaper does not always mean better. Cheaper health insurance quotes may reflect more limited coverage of mental health services. When asking for health insurance quotes, it's important to keep in mind that the insurance being bought may not specifically cover mental health. Private health insurance, specifically individual health insurance, is much less likely to cover mental health services than group insurance or insurance through an employer.

In summary, mental health services and therapies are covered by insurance, though the degree of coverage varies from policy to policy. Despite legislation requiring parity between mental and physical health coverage, insurance may not cover mental health at all. Individuals must take it upon themselves to find out what their insurance covers, and what the trade-off between coverage and cost might mean for them.