Asking for help should lead to an appointment you can afford. Bridge to Care is calling for changes to Ohio law that lower financial barriers, hold insurance companies accountable, and keep people connected to treatment when their coverage changes.
Add your name on Change.org.
24.21%
Nearly one in four Ohio adults experiencing frequent mental distress could not see a doctor because of cost.
Source note: Mental Health America, Access to Care tables, using 2023 data. This measure concerns adults reporting at least 14 mentally unhealthy days in a month and cost barriers to seeing a doctor generally — not specifically a therapist.
Mental Health America — Access to Care88,000 adults
An estimated 88,000 Ohio adults living with mental illness reported private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional problems.
Source note: Mental Health America, Access to Care tables, using combined 2022–2023 data. This is a reported coverage gap; it is not a count of people enrolled in temporary insurance.
Mental Health America — Access to Care17%
Ohio's 2026 Health Value Dashboard reports that 17% of adults experienced at least 14 days of poor mental health in a month.
Source note: Health Policy Institute of Ohio, 2026 Health Value Dashboard, published April 2026. The publication year is not necessarily the underlying survey year.
Health Policy Institute of Ohio — 2026 Health Value DashboardThese figures show why affordability and dependable coverage deserve attention. Our proposals address specific barriers people encounter when seeking and continuing treatment.
You decide to start therapy, then discover you must pay the full session price until you meet your deductible.
You call providers listed by your insurance company, only to find they do not accept your particular plan or are not taking new patients.
Or your job ends, your coverage changes, and the treatment you rely on becomes unaffordable.
People deserve a clearer path to care — including those who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but still struggle to afford treatment.
1
Require short-term medical plans sold in Ohio to cover medically necessary therapy, psychiatric care, medication management, and psychiatric medications. Protect coverage for existing conditions and create a guaranteed enrollment opportunity after loss of employer coverage.
2
Require covered outpatient mental health treatment to begin before the deductible. Cap total patient costs for a covered therapy session at $25, while preserving benefits that already cost less.
Pursue the strongest protections Ohio can enact while addressing federal restrictions affecting certain plans.
3
Require insurance companies to verify which plans providers accept, whether they accept new patients, and whether timely appointments are available.
When an insurer cannot provide timely care within its network, it should arrange outside-network treatment at the patient's protected in-network cost.
The work and expense of operating, verifying, and correcting insurer directories must fall on insurance companies. Clinicians should not absorb insurers' administrative costs or penalties for insurers' mistakes.
4
Establish 180 days of medically necessary therapy, psychiatric care, and psychiatric medications without patient cost-sharing after employer coverage ends.
Pair requirements for temporary medical plans with a funded state transition benefit for people who cannot obtain or afford replacement coverage or whose coverage leaves a qualifying gap.
These are proposed reforms, not benefits currently guaranteed by this campaign. We are asking Ohio lawmakers to act within state authority and applicable federal law.
Bridge to Care was started by Zac Branstool, an Ohio therapist and small business owner, to advocate for practical changes that help people obtain and continue mental health treatment.
We are beginning with a petition calling on Ohio lawmakers to improve affordability, strengthen insurance accountability, and protect continuity of care. More information about our proposals and ways to get involved will follow.
Sign the petition and help show Ohio lawmakers that people need coverage they can use, appointments they can obtain, and treatment they can continue.
Add your name on Change.org.
We're just getting started. More ways to take part are coming soon.