California Poised To Strengthen Mental Health Insurance Laws

There are already federal and state laws on the books requiring insurance companies to cover mental health treatments, just as it does medical treatments and procedures such as chemotherapy or a cesarean section. But many patient advocates say those laws haven't gone far enough because they permit insurance companies to pay for care only after the mental illness has reached a late-stage crisis, or let companies deny coverage outright. So states, including New York and Illinois, have been strengthening their regulation and enforcement.

This week, California's legislature . It aims to increase mental health insurance