Insurer, Mortgage Lender Sued Over Wilderness Therapy Exclusion

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and a mortgage lender unfairly denied a child’s $50,000 outdoor program for behavioral therapy, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the lender’s employee in Utah federal court.

The case marks another point in the fight over mental health coverage, with patients challenging health plans over inaccurate “ghost networks,” health plans challenging a Biden-era rule to increase enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and a cultural battle over the effect that social media and smartphones are having on youth mental health.

Plaintiff Christine K. sued the ...