Insurers have wide latitude on when and how they can deny mental health care. We looked at the laws in all 50 states and found that some are charting new paths to secure mental health care access.

Although these state laws govern only plans under state jurisdiction, such as individual or small-group policies purchased through state marketplaces, experts told ProPublica they could, when enforced, serve as a model for broader legislation.

“States are laboratories for innovation,” said Lauren Finke, senior director of policy at The Kennedy Forum, a nonprofit that has advocated for state legislation that improves access to mental health care. “States can take it forward and use it for proof of concept, and then that can absolutely be reflected at the federal level.”