A guest newsletter by Matthew Rae
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌


Problems viewing this email?

View Message In Browser
<[link removed]>

Tuesday, November 29, 2022 | The Latest Research, Commentary, And News
From Health Affairs

Dear John,

Take advantage of our 40th anniversary special happening this week onl
and use promo code: 40for40 and choose 40% off
<[link removed]>
a digital-only subscription to Health Affairs, an Insider membership, or
Unlimited membership.

Today's newsletter is written by Matthew Rae of the Kaiser Family
Foundation, who coauthored the article in this month's issue "Health
Benefits In 2022: Premiums Remain Steady, Many Employers Report Limited
Provider Networks For Behavioral Health
<[link removed]>"
in this month's issue of Health Affairs.

Mental Health Needs In 2022

Nearly three years into the pandemic, there are lingering questions
about how to meet the increased demand for mental health services
<[link removed]>.

A key finding from the 2022 Employer Health Benefits Survey
<[link removed]>
was that 48 percent of large firms offering health benefits reported
seeing an increase in the share of employees using mental health
services in the past year.

Among large firms offering health benefits
<[link removed]>,
29 percent saw an increase in the share of employees who requested leave
for mental health conditions under the Family and Medical Leave Act and
43 percent were at least somewhat concerned about the growth of
substance use conditions among their employees.

Employers can play an important role in facilitating access to mental
health services-about half of nonelderly people, or more than 155
million people
<[link removed]>,
were insured through employer-sponsored health plans.

Employers frequently adapt their health plans to incorporate new options
and many sponsor programs outside of their plans to help employees
manage stress and promote healthy living.

Even prior to the pandemic there was concern about access to mental
health care.

In 2019, among the 21.6 million adults
<[link removed]>
who reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and/or depression,
39 percent were not receiving treatment.

In addition to personal hesitancy, a number of access issues may
contribute to individuals not receiving such care, including costs
<[link removed]>,
not knowing where to obtain care, mental health provider shortages, and
low rates of insurance acceptance.

During the pandemic, the share of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety
<[link removed]>
and/or depression has grown and roughly a quarter of adults experiencing
these symptoms report unmet mental health needs
<[link removed]>.

A KFF/CNN survey found that during the summer of 2022, 90 percent of
Americans
<[link removed]>
believed that the country faced a mental health crisis and 68 percent
indicated the opioid epidemic was a crisis.

Employers have taken notice of worsening mental health and an uptake in
use among their employees. Many employers have made changes to the
mental health services they offer over the last two years.

In 2022, 81 percent of large employers offered employee assistance
programs (EAPs) and 44 percent offered mental health self-care apps; 61
percent added additional digital content to their wellness programs in
the past two years.

Throughout the pandemic there has been a blossoming of vendors and
digital tools to promote mental health and well-being. While employers
have leaned on these resources, it is unclear which of these programs
are effective at improving mental health, and how to incorporate them
into comprehensive care.

In our survey, many large employers report that digital content received
limited engagement
<[link removed]>
from employees and relatively few indicated that their wellness programs
more broadly were "very effective" at improving health and well-being.

In contrast to the high share of employers offering EAPs and self-care
apps, relatively few took steps to bolster the availability of
in-network providers.

Our survey highlights employers concern with the robustness of provider
networks for mental health services.

Narrow network plans may reduce a plan's cost by excluding high-cost
providers, but limited provider options in these plans may pose access
barriers for enrollees and an increased risk of enrollees resorting to
out-of-network providers and thus higher costs.

In 2022, nearly 20 percent of large firms offering health benefits said
that their provider network for mental health services was either
somewhat or very narrow, compared to only 6 percent for providers
overall.

Additionally, only 52 percent of large firms believed there was a
sufficient number of behavioral health providers in their plan's
network to provide timely access to services.

In comparison, 89 percent of large firms believed that there was a
sufficient number of primary care providers to provide timely access to
services.

Despite this, relatively few large employers offering health benefits
expanded the availability of mental health services
<[link removed]>
by adding new providers or facilities for in-person care (14 percent) or
by adding new virtual providers (22 percent) over the past year.

One challenge to building robust provider networks for mental health
care services is the ongoing shortage of providers. Nationally, only 28
percent of the need for mental health practitioners was met as of
September 2022 (this measure is primarily based on the number of
psychiatrists relative to the population).

Psychiatrists are also significantly less likely
<[link removed]>
than other physicians to accept any new patients with private insurance,
raising further concerns about access to psychiatrists and potentially
other mental health practitioners.

Telehealth services
<[link removed]>
have emerged as an important pathway to mental health care during the
pandemic and may alleviate some concerns about provider access,
particularly in rural areas.

By 2021, nearly 40 percent of all mental health outpatient visits were
delivered through telehealth.

Findings from our 2022 Employer Health Benefits Survey
<[link removed]>
showed that employers offering health benefits are optimistic about the
future of telehealth, with more than half of large employers indicating
they believe it will be "very important" in providing access to
behavioral health services going forward.

Although telehealth can help broaden access to mental health services,
it is generally intended to supplement, not replace, in-person services.

The pandemic and its impact on mental health
<[link removed]>
and substance use has shined a light on barriers to care.

In addition to changes from employer-sponsored health plans, recent
federal policies aim to expand the mental health workforce, though these
actions will take time to materialize.

In the meantime, employers will likely continue to grapple with meeting
the behavioral health needs of their employees amidst workforce
shortages and increasing costs, and individuals with mental health needs
will continue to navigate a variety of access challenges.

Read More
<[link removed]>


[link removed]

Abdinasir Ali On State Eviction Moratoriums' Impact On Health

Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Abdinasir Ali from
the University of Iowa College of Public Health on his research
assessing the effects of state eviction moratoriums on mental health.

Listen Here
<[link removed]>

Elsewhere At Health Affairs

Today on Forefront, Andre Chappel and coauthors discuss multistakeholder
collaborations to address social determinants of health
<[link removed]>.

Lillie Tyson Head and Christopher Koller discuss how a partnership
between the Milbank Memorial Fund and the Voices for Our Fathers Legacy
Foundation
<[link removed]>
led to an apology for the Fund's role in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study,
reparations, and acceptance.

Elevating Voices - National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage
Month: In the December 2020 Climate & Health issue, Paul J. Schramm and
co-authors describe how the Pala Band of Mission Indians and the
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community implemented Climate-Ready Tribes
Initiative projects
<[link removed]>,
and provide climate and health policy recommendations for tribes.

Enjoying Forefront <[link removed]> articles?
Bookmark our website to never miss an update.

[link removed]


Take advantage of our 40th anniversary special happening this week only.

Use promo code: 40for40 and choose 40% off:

* A digital-only subscription to Health Affairs (1-year access)

* Insider membership with access to curated emails, insider-only events,
and more

* Unlimited membership including a digital-only subscription to Health
Affairs plus Insider access to email alerts and newsletters, and events,
including a full archive of events from 2021 and 2022.

Get 40% Off
<[link removed]>


Daily Digest

Health Benefits In 2022: Premiums Remain Steady, Many Employers Report
Limited Provider Networks For Behavioral Health
<[link removed]>

Gary Claxton et al.

Improving Health And Well-Being Through Community Care Hubs
<[link removed]>

Andre Chappel et al.

From Shame And Trauma To Hope And Healing: An Act Of Reconciliation And
Restorative Justice For The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
<[link removed]>

Lillie J. Tyson Head and Christopher F. Koller

 

[link removed]


[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

mailto:[email protected]

About Health Affairs

Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewed journal
<[link removed]> at the intersection of health,
health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal
is available in print and online. Late-breaking content is also found
through healthaffairs.org <healthaffairs.org>, Health Affairs Today
<[link removed]>, and Health Affairs Sunday
Update <[link removed]>.  

Project HOPE <[link removed]> is a global health and
humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local
health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has
published Health Affairs since 1981.

Copyright © Project HOPE: The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Health Affairs, 1220 19th Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036, United States

Privacy Policy <[link removed]>

To unsubscribe from this email, update your email preferences here
<[link removed]>.
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

Health Affairs, 1220 19th Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036, United States