As the nation continues to experience a mental health crisis, health insurers have developed numerous strategies to help members manage their mental health needs, according to a resource from AHIP.
The need for mental healthcare is pervasive in the US. In 2019, nearly 50 million adults—or almost one out of every five Americans—experienced a mental illness, according to Mental Health America’s State of Mental Health in America report.
Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated mental healthcare demands.
The US Senate Committee on Finance’s report on the state of mental healthcare in America noted that suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals ages 10 through 34 in 2020 and that over half of those who require mental health treatment do not receive it. The need has grown so great that the US Surgeon General issued an advisory on the youth mental health crisis.
In the face of this swelling epidemic, payers have adopted a diverse range of strategies to support members, their families, and their communities.
AHIP’s resource outlined around over 40 payers’ efforts to stem the tide of the mental healthcare crisis in the US and support their members. Seven strategic themes emerged from the list of ways that payers have helped members manage their mental health needs:
- Helping members find the right providers
- Creating opportunities for care through telehealth, online platforms
- Designing new payment models
- Expanding and educating the mental healthcare workforce
- Offering population-based services
- Supporting caregivers
- Expanding research and awareness
HELPING MEMBERS FIND THE RIGHT PROVIDERS
Finding a mental healthcare provider or a primary care provider who is aware of behavioral health conditions is challenging for members. Three-quarters of members who have sought out mental healthcare services hold health insurers responsible for their access—or lack thereof—to mental healthcare providers.
Some health insurance companies have offered recommendations about how to find mental health providers that will meet members’ needs.
Sharp Health Plan advised members regarding the various types of mental health providers.
The health plan encouraged members to consider the differences between therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, and psychologists as they seek mental healthcare services and to assess which might be best suited to their needs. The payer also recommended that members write down questions about the issues that they wish to discuss with potential providers and bring these to their appointments.
For members who are looking for culturally competent mental health providers, AmeriHealth Caritas posted five questions that members can ask in order to assess a provider’s cultural competency.
The payer’s questions invite members to consider whether the provider takes an interest in the member’s social context, asks about any stigmas or social determinants of health that might have produced barriers to care in the past, acknowledges differences in backgrounds where they exist and checks in on the member’s concerns and expectations about those differences, and more.
Members are not always aware that they need help or the severity of their own mental health conditions.
To connect at-risk members with the right type of care, CareOregon implemented an artifical intelligence software from Clarigent Health. The tool helps identify behavioral healthcare patients who are becoming suicidal by looking for patterns in speech.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CARE THROUGH TELEHEALTH, ONLINE PLATFORMS
In addition to connecting members with providers, health insurers have also empowered members to advocate for and find solutions for themselves, offering opportunities for members to find the kind of care that best suits their needs through telehealth and digital platforms.
Payers like The Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) sought to empower members by giving them access to a mental healthcare platform from Learn to Live.
The platform allows members to connect with cognitive behavioral therapy and mental health assessments at any time of the day or night. More specifically, it is designed for members who have mild to moderate depression, anxiety including social anxiety, substance abuse, and other mental healthcare needs.
Highmark health plan offered members access to a 12-week evidence-based program called Meru Health. The program is designed to serve members with depression, anxiety, and burnout. It integrates personal therapy consultations and peer support groups with technology-based mindfulness practices, video lessons, and more.
All of the program’s services are available by phone. After members complete the course, they still have access to mental healthcare support through Highmark.
Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey offered members access to a mental health coaching program called MindRight Health that conducts its services via texting. The program targets individuals between the ages of 13 and 25 who need emotional support and coaching. Coaches on the platform are overseen by mental healthcare providers.
Source: HealthPayer Intelligence
