Q: Can my insurance limit my therapy sessions?
A: Not with a hard cap. Under parity law and California's SB 855, plans can't impose fixed session limits on mental health care that don't exist for comparable medical care.¹ What they can do is review medical necessity — asking your therapist to justify continued treatment. That's legal, but the criteria must be recognized clinical standards, not the plan's budget.
Worked example: "Your plan covers 12 sessions per year" — outdated and generally unenforceable; ask for the written policy and it usually evaporates. "We're requesting a treatment update after session 20" — legal, and your therapist handles it routinely.
Do this: if continued care is denied, get the denial in writing, have your therapist respond, and file for Independent Medical Review through the DMHC (1-888-466-2219) — IMR overturns a large share of behavioral health denials.
Source: 1. H&S §1374.72 — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.