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California mental-health insurance blog

The Parity blog.

Plain-language posts for California mental-health and substance-use denials. General education, not legal or clinical advice.

An adult reviewing generic benefits papers with a highlighter and calculator.

September 7, 2026 · 9 min read

How to read an Explanation of Benefits after a therapy visit

Learn what a therapy EOB can tell you about a claim, allowed amount, plan payment, and patient responsibility—and what it cannot prove by itself.

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An adult organizing a phone, calendar, and notes at a quiet kitchen table.

August 31, 2026 · 8 min read

Your therapy denial feels urgent. What can you do today?

A practical California checklist for an urgent therapy denial: what to preserve, what a clinician can document, and when to contact the plan or DMHC.

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Illustrated hands clasped above plan documents and a branching route map.

August 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Is your employer health plan self-funded? Why the answer changes the route

Learn how to look for self-funded plan clues and why a familiar insurer logo does not always mean California DMHC regulates the plan.

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A therapist and an adult patient smiling during a conversation in a bright office.

August 17, 2026 · 6 min read

What your therapist can contribute to an insurance appeal packet

A factual, low-burden way for a treating clinician to support a patient's mental-health insurance appeal without becoming the filing coordinator.

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An illustrated person using a magnifying glass to follow a checked criteria path.

August 10, 2026 · 6 min read

What “not medically necessary” means in a therapy denial

Learn what to look for when a California health plan says therapy or substance use care was not medically necessary.

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A woman smiling gently as she reviews two paths on a laptop in a library.

August 3, 2026 · 6 min read

DMHC complaint or Independent Medical Review? What’s the difference?

Understand the difference between a California DMHC complaint and Independent Medical Review without guessing which one applies.

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A woman reading an insurance denial letter at a kitchen table.

July 27, 2026 · 6 min read

Insurance denied therapy in California: five first steps

A calm first-step checklist for California adults after a health plan denies completed mental health or substance use care.

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Parity is self-help document preparation, not a law firm, legal advice, representation, or clinical care.