<h1>Mental health insurance coverage now includes inpatient and outpatient treatment but watch exclusions and waiting periods.</h1> Regulatory mandates under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 and insurance regulations require insurers to cover mental illness, yielding broad inpatient and outpatient benefits including diagnosis, medications, therapy, hospitalisation, counselling and rehabilitation; lifetime limits have been abolished though some plans cap benefits. Policy exclusions commonly include intellectual disability, substance abuse treatment, pre-existing mental disorders, self-inflicted injuries and experimental therapies. Buyers should assess coverage limits, co-pays, network hospitals, covered therapies, waiting periods, policy definitions and hospital/ambulance expense coverage before selecting a plan.