Advocates said the law ensures that Coloradans can access the care they are paying for without facing a crushing financial strain.

COLORADO, USA — A major change in health insurance takes effect in Colorado today, aimed at giving residents better access to mental health care. The new state law requires insurers to cover mental health, behavioral health and substance use treatment at the same level as physical illnesses, closing a long-standing gap in coverage.

The law comes after some families repeatedly faced denials for life-saving treatment, even when prescribed by doctors.

RELATED: Here are the new Colorado laws that go into effect Jan. 1

“Previously, insurance companies used their own internal determinations for deciding if a mental health service was medically necessary,” said Mary Kate Morr, with Healthier Colorado, a public health advocacy group that pushed for the legislation. “This law says that really that decision should be between a doctor and their patient, not an insurance company.”

Morr said the law ensures that Coloradans can access the care they are paying for without facing a crushing financial strain. 

“If you need mental health care, you shouldn’t have to go into crippling debt to get it and you shouldn’t have to be in a full-blown crisis and potentially lose a loved one to suicide,” she said.

The law also requires insurers to clearly explain any denial and base it on national standards of care, making the appeals process more transparent. 

“Previously, families often didn’t even know why claims were being denied, making appeals confusing and difficult,” Morr said.

Mona Abaza, an ear, nose and throat doctor and mother, spent years fighting her insurance company to get care for her daughter, who struggled with self-harm. Doctors recommended inpatient care, but her insurer refused coverage. 

“It’s not like I’m sending her to a nice camp so she can get into an Ivy League school,” Abaza said. “I was sending her somewhere because they told me I was saving her life. If she came home, they were concerned that she would kill herself.”

Despite her medical knowledge and resources, Abaza said navigating mental health coverage was difficult. She took out a second mortgage to pay for her daughter’s care out-of-pocket, and despite fighting legally, she was never reimbursed by her health insurance. 

“I felt blessed that I’m in a financial situation where I can take out a second mortgage, where I had family that could help support me” Abaza said. “I felt deep sadness for those parents who couldn’t.”

Abaza hopes the new law will prevent other families from facing the same struggles. 

“I think [this law] will get people the care that they need,” Abaza said. “I truly hope it will begin to allow us to think of mental healthcare as just health care.” 

Healthier Colorado said the law also establishes standardized criteria for determining medical necessity and stops insurers from reversing medical necessity decisions except in cases of fraud.

“Now, if an insurance company denies a claim, the process will be very standardized and transparent,” Morr said. “It’s better for families, it’s better for patients and ultimately, it’s better for all of us as Coloradans.”

Abaza believes the law will save lives and reduce the financial burden for families in crisis. Her daughter is now a healthy, happy sophomore in college.