Many Georgians still struggling to access care despite 2022 Mental Health Parity Act

WABE by Jess Mador, November 15, 2025

Kyle Behm was a junior in college when a mental health crisis landed him in the hospital.

“He was experiencing a psychotic episode. He was close to 21 when he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder,” said Kyle’s father, Roland Behm.

He said the diagnosis was frightening.

“Among the challenges faced by individuals with that diagnosis is that there’s significantly higher level of suicidality, suicidal ideation, suicide plans, suicide attempts,” said Behm, an attorney.

At the time of his son’s diagnosis, he worked for a giant international corporation with generous health insurance that covered most of the treatments his son needed.

“We were fortunate,” he said. “We had access to care. We had access to some of the best providers. It’s a completely different story than most people who are challenged with mental health illnesses.”

Mental health care can be hard to come by in Georgia for the more than 1.4 million adults and more than 100,000 adolescents with a mental health condition, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports. Georgia ranks 46 in the nation for access to care, according to the latest State of Mental Health in America report. And, Georgia has one of the nation’s highest rates of uninsured, KFF reports.

That’s despite the state’s 2022 Mental Health Parity Act requiring health insurance companies to cover mental health and substance use conditions the same way they cover physical health conditions.

Read more from WABE here.