OUR STORY
The Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force (MHIRTF) is a multidisciplinary, provider-led coalition committed to ensuring that mental health care remains accessible, ethical, and sustainable by holding insurance companies accountable to parity laws, advocating for fair provider reimbursement, and empowering both clinicians and consumers to navigate and challenge systemic barriers.
MHIRTF was founded in August of 2024 to help transform the profit-driven mental health insurance system by combining legislative advocacy, legal strategies, provider and public education, and bold innovation into a unified movement for real behavioral health insurance reform.
Our mission is rooted in mutual respect, transparency, and collective care. We believe mental health systems should be designed by and for the people they serve, not dictated by billionaire corporate executives, profit-driven shareholders, or outdated systems that exploit vulnerability. We believe we can build something better!
OUR MISSION
MHIRTF is addressing long-standing and worsening problems in the behavioral health care system, particularly those caused or exacerbated by the insurance industry. These include:
• Parity violations, where insurers fail to provide mental health coverage equal to medical or surgical care
• Low and unjust reimbursement rates, especially for independent and small practice providers
• The rise of carve-outs and vertical monopolies that limit access, reduce pay, and create confusion and barriers for both clients and clinicians
• Prior authorizations, clawbacks, and delayed payments that interfere with timely and ethical care
• Workforce burnout, high turnover, and a shrinking number of providers willing to stay in insurance networks due to the poor conditions Vert
These challenges matter because they directly affect whether people can access the care they need when they need it. Clients are being left without essential services. Providers are leaving the field or avoiding insurance entirely because they cannot sustain their practices under current conditions. Communities are suffering the consequences of a system that prioritizes profit over healing.
By confronting these systemic failures head-on, MHIRTF is working to protect access to care, restore fairness, and help build a system that works better for everyone involved.
