How an Insurance Denial Lawyer Can Help with Mental Health Claims
If your health insurance company is denying your claim for mental health benefits or making it harder for them to cover your claim, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. Contact an insurance claims denial attorney at Quincey Law to discuss your case.
Your health insurance company cannot afford to treat your mental health differently than your physical health. If they do so, you may be able to file an individual or class action lawsuit against your health insurance company. You may be able to receive substantial financial compensation and force them to cover your mental health treatment.
Contact an insurance claims denial lawyer at Quincey Law at 866-945-9175 to discuss your possible legal action against your health insurance company. We can help you get accountability when your health insurance company has broken the law.
Federal Law Prohibits Differential Treatment of Your Mental Health Claim
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act prevents health insurance companies from treating these types of claims differently from those that involve your physical health. They must give equal or better treatment to mental health claims. Specifically, the law mandates the following of insurance companies:
- They cannot impose any additional barriers to obtaining coverage that they would not place on medical and surgical claims
- They are not allowed to put dollar or lifetime caps on the amount of your benefits
- They cannot institute different patient cost sharing than you would need to pay for physical health claims
Health Insurance Companies Have Been Held Accountable
The reality is that insurance companies may not follow the law, and many policyholders report that they have either had their claims denied or they have experienced difficulties accessing their benefits. Health insurance companies have been sued, both individually and in class action cases, by policyholders who argued that their mental health claims were denied. For example, United Healthcare has faced lawsuits filed by policyholders and enforcement action from the Department of Labor over how it handles mental health claims. The company recently settled an enforcement action filed by DOL for $15.6 million when it was accused of illegally reducing reimbursement rates for out-of-network behavioral health services and targeting mental health recipients for claim reviews.
You may not even need to have your claim denied to be able to file a lawsuit against the health insurance company. In an important recent decision, the Ninth Circuit held that even a different claims review process could be grounds for a lawsuit. Thus, if you have any difficulty with a claim or the review process, you may be able to take legal action.
What to Do if Your Mental Health Claim Has Been Denied
If the health insurance company has denied your mental health claim, or you have been saddled with an unexpected bill because they paid less in reimbursement than they should have, you may have a possible lawsuit. It is essential to know your legal rights under your policy and the law.
First, you should review the reason for the claim denial or understand the extra steps that the insurance company is requiring of you. Second, you should contact the insurance company and explain that their conduct violates the Mental Health Parity Act. Then, you should go through the insurance company’s internal appeals process for them to reconsider their denial. You can even request an expedited appeal if your mental health condition requires it. Along the way, you should speak with a health insurance claims denial attorney to learn more about the law and your rights.
If your Mental Health Parity Act lawsuit is successful, you may be able to receive the following damages:
- Compensation for money that you wrongfully had to pay out of your own pocket
- Emotional distress from denied treatment and the illegal claims process
- Statutory penalties imposed by the law
- Punitive damages if you are able to prove that the insurance company acted in bad faith
When you are dealing with mental health issues that require care, the last thing that you want to do is fight with the insurance company and go through the legal process. A health insurance claims denial lawyer can handle your case once your appeal has been denied and get justice and accountability from the insurance company that has wrongfully denied your claim or made you do far more than should have been necessary to get the benefits you deserve.
Contact a California Health Insurance Claims Denial Law Firm Today
Reach out to Quincey Law to learn whether you can get justice in the form of financial compensation when your health insurance company has made your claim more difficult or denied it entirely. You can schedule a free initial consultation with an insurance claims denial attorney by calling us at 866-945-9175.
Nicholas Quincey is the founder of Quincey Law, and has over a decade of experience of handling insurance claims denials and personal injury matters for people throughout California. We have pursued insurance bad faith claims for people involving life insurance, health insurance, homeowners and disability insurance. We also work with clients and families who need assistance filing and pursuing a personal injury matter. Learn more here.