Everyone deserves timely and appropriate access to effective mental health treatment. That's why Vibrant Emotional Health (Vibrant) is supporting legislation in New York (S6688A), which seeks to amend the insurance law to prohibit the application of fail-first or step therapy protocols for diagnosing and treating serious mental health conditions.

Imagine this scenario: you're struggling with your mental health, seeking the right treatment to guide you towards recovery. But instead of being able to work with your doctor to find what works best for you, you're forced to jump through hoops. You have to try cheaper, less effective treatments first, even if your doctor knows they won't work for you. It's frustrating, it's time-consuming, and worst of all, it can make your symptoms worse.

Step therapy, a practice requiring patients to try and fail on less expensive or less intensive treatments before accessing more advanced options, poses significant risks to individuals with mental illness. The delay in accessing appropriate treatment can exacerbate symptoms, prolong suffering, and even increase the risk of suicide or self-harm.

Decisions regarding mental health treatment should be made between patients and their healthcare providers, free from unnecessary interference or delays imposed by insurance companies.  While S6688A rightly prioritizes timely access to medication for serious mental health conditions, its current scope fails to protect individuals across the full spectrum of mental health conditions. Vibrant Emotional Health urges our New York leaders to extend this safeguard and amend this legislation to include "any mental health condition" to ensure comprehensive coverage for all those in need.

Read our full memorandum of support here.