Colorado needs HB 1002 to ensure fair access to mental health care

House Bill 25-1002 is a critical step toward ensuring that mental health care is treated with the same urgency, transparency and fairness as physical health care. By establishing a clear, standardized definition of “medical necessity” in alignment with evidence-based clinical standards, this bill will help ensure that Coloradans receive the care they need and are already paying for.

Too many Colorado families are being denied essential mental health care based on arbitrary or opaque insurance standards. A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found that nearly 20% of all medical necessity denials involved mental health or substance use disorder services, even though these services make up just 5% of overall health care spending. This disparity is not just an administrative issue — it is a matter of life and death in a state that has one of the highest rates of youth and adults with serious thoughts of suicide.

When insurance companies deny coverage, people are forced to delay or forgo treatment altogether. This leads to worsening conditions, avoidable crises and increased reliance on emergency rooms and crisis services. Between 2016 and 2021, Colorado saw a staggering 158% increase in emergency room visits by youth experiencing mental health symptoms. Behind each of these statistics is a family in distress, a young person in crisis, a life upended by an arbitrary denial of care.