Mental-health care suffers shortages

The Affordable Care Act should make it easier for people to get the mental-health services they need, but a lack of providers willing to accept commercial insurance and a shortage of mental-health professionals is making it hard to achieve parity when it comes to mental-health benefits.

The Affordable Care Act requires that large group health plans offer both physical and behavioral health options to employees, said Michael Lott-Manier, assistant director of public policy and strategic initiatives for Mental Health America of Colorado, based in Denver. The ACA also requires that mental-health services be offered at the same…