Breaking Access Barriers: Connecticut’s Bold New Step Toward Mental Health Parity

Breaking Access Barriers: Connecticut’s Bold New Step Toward Mental Health Parity

A Win for Mental Health Equity
This summer, Connecticut took a major step toward making mental health parity real for the more than 515,000 residents covered by fully insured health plans. A new state law, championed by Mental Health Connecticut and allies, gives the Connecticut Insurance Department clear authority to hold insurance companies accountable when they break federal or state parity laws. That means better access to care, stronger oversight, and long-overdue accountability in a system that too often leaves patients behind.
For years, parity has been the law, but not the reality for patients. Enforcement has been limited, and insurers have operated with too little transparency. Connecticut’s new law changes that, finally giving state regulators real authority to investigate and fine insurers that don’t comply.

How We Got Here
The health insurance industry fought these reforms at every turn. They lobbied hard to keep the status quo: closed-door decisions, minimal oversight, and no consequences for blocking or delaying care.
But we fought back. A broad, unified coalition of advocates, clinicians, and people with lived experience stood up and said enough is enough. Together, we made parity enforcement a top priority in the 2025 session. Lawmakers listened and passed the bill with overwhelming bipartisan support.

What’s Next: A Unified Voice for Behavioral Health
This win proves our model works. Mental Health Connecticut built a coalition that breaks through the usual silos, bringing together community advocates, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and more to speak with one voice.
No other group in Connecticut is doing this. And now that parity enforcement is in place, we’re turning to other significant barriers to care:
• Ghost networks that list unavailable or unreachable providers
• Network inadequacy that makes it challenging to find care nearby
• Affordability barriers like high out-of-pocket costs and annual rate hikes
We’re building momentum to make sure every Connecticut family can access the high-quality, affordable behavioral health care they deserve.

Get Involved
The fight isn’t over. We need your voice. Visit mhconn.org:
• Learn more about your rights under the new law
• Take action to support better access to care
• Donate to fuel the next phase of our work

—By Christian Damiana