The prevalence of mental illness has increased in recent years, sparking a greater need for mental health care providers and higher demand for coverage for mental health treatment on health insurance plans.
From its creation in 2010, the Affordable care act (ACA) identified mental health as one of the 10 essential health coverages.
But with mental healthcare needs changing, so has healthcare coverage and how people access it.
Although health insurance plans cover mental health, there is still a cost of prescriptions, therapy sessions, and inpatient care, which typically are subject to the plan’s deductible and not covered at 100% by the insurance company until it is met.
This could discourage those needing this treatment from spending money on a monthly health insurance premium because the money spent monthly to maintain coverage could be spent elsewhere to gain access to care.
Mental illness is increasing
Each year, the number of Americans who struggle with mental illness has increased. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in 2020, 21% of the United States population or 52.9 million Americans have been diagnosed with a mental illness. This represents 1 in 5 adults.
What’s more, 27 million Americans currently battle mental illness without treatment.
As the cost of healthcare increases, health insurance companies could help to provide access to this treatment.
However, mental health treatment differs from person to person. While health insurance covers mental health, it is somewhat limited.
Depending on the insurance provider, you could get coverage for therapy visits and prescriptions at a low rate. However, not all insurance companies are willing to cover these visits and treatments at 100%, putting the cost on the patient.
What is being done to change this?
Each year, insurance companies are improving their coverage for mental health. However, there is still a long way to go before this treatment is covered at 100%.
Online tech start-ups that provide mental health therapy and prescriptions like BetterHelp or Cerebral have become more popular in recent years, but have received backlash due to poor prescribing practices and putting patients at risk, even though trained professionals are used to provide care.
Still, as 1 in 5 Americans seek mental health treatment, the cost is the main factor. Using traditional health insurance provides unknown benefits and higher costs, not to mention access is more limited due to needing referrals or being required to hit your deductible before the insurance will cover anything at 100%.
Online treatments are more accessible, affordable, and have better reviews due to being promoted on social media. They can also be canceled at any time without rules and restrictions to re-enroll, making these options the possible future of mental healthcare.
If you need help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 800-273-8255.