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How One California Insurer Got In Trouble for Making Postpartum Depression Drugs Too Hard To Get

January 4, 2024

What: A recap of KQED’s coverage in California of insurance company Kaiser Permanente making it difficult for women to get medication to treat postpartum depression. While most insurers in the state require women to try two different medications before covering a more expensive IV option specifically targeted to PPD, Kaiser required they try 4.

Why it matters: After the KQED story, Kaiser changed their policy and the Department of Labor investigated. Now there’s a pill dedicated to just PPD, and KQED says it will track how hard California insurers make it to get the medication.

Source: KQED

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