“I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network

Ravi Coutinho bought a health insurance plan thinking it would deliver on its promise of access to mental health providers. But even after 21 phone calls and multiple hospitalizations, no one could find him a therapist.  

• Ravi Coutinho’s story:
  • Ravi, a 41-year-old data analyst living in Arizona, bought an Ambetter plan in hopes of finding mental health support after moving to Phoenix.
  • He battled anxiety, depression, and a history of trauma. Though functional at work, his emotional state worsened in isolation.
  • Determined to find therapy, he called dozens of providers listed in his plan’s network. Many numbers were disconnected, some offices didn’t exist, and others rejected his insurance.
  • Despite being highly educated and proactive, Ravi couldn’t get the care he needed.
  • In May 2023, he was found dead at home. The cause: accidental acute alcohol toxicity.
  • His grieving mother, Barbara Webber, said Ravi told her: “Mom, I’m trying. I’m calling. Nobody’s calling me back.”
• The “ghost network” crisis:
  • Ravi’s experience is part of a broader systemic failure: insurers listing providers who are unavailable, don’t take their plans, or never worked there.
  • In Ravi’s case, one clinic listed was a behavioral center for adolescents, not adults. Another had been closed for years.
  • Some therapists he reached wanted to help, but couldn’t accept his plan due to billing issues with Ambetter.
• Emotional toll on families:
  • Barbara, his mother, said she kept hearing Ravi’s voice and rereading old messages trying to understand what went wrong.
  • In 2025, she filed a lawsuit accusing Ambetter’s parent company Centene and its Arizona arm of contributing to her son’s death through deceptive practices and systemic negligence.
• The human cost of inaction:
  • While regulators have acknowledged the problem of ghost networks, enforcement has been minimal.
  • For patients like Ravi — educated, persistent, and motivated to get better — the system still failed.
  • His story is a powerful example of how inaccurate directories aren’t just an inconvenience, they can be fatal.