Access to behavioral health has grown over the past few years, and health insurance providers have contributed to that growth, according to a recent study. polls Organized by the American Health Insurance Plan, a health insurance advocacy group.
The survey contains 14 questions and is distributed between May and June to AHIP members who offer commercial primary health insurance. The responses came from payers, who collectively reached 95 million business participants. The survey did not specify how many members AHIP has, but its website lists more than 135.
Among commercial health plans, the number of in-network behavioral health providers has increased 48 percent over the past three years to 1,851. Behavioral health professionals include psychiatrists, psychologists, child or adolescent psychiatrists, licensed therapists, psychiatric nurses, and applied behavioral health analysts. There has been an increase in providers of all types of behavioral health, albeit varied. Applied behavioral health specialists saw the highest three-year increase at 135%. The lowest was psychologists at 11%.
Many more providers are eligible to prescribe medication-assisted therapy, which is the use of medication in combination with counseling and therapy. Over the past three years, that number has increased by 114%.
Not only has the number of providers in the network increased over the past three years, but so has the number of behavioral health facilities in the network, the report found. Inpatient psychiatric hospitals increased by 40% and inpatient/inpatient care facilities increased by 34%.
As more providers and medical institutions become insurers’ networks, so do their payments. The majority of health plan respondents, or 78%, said they increased reimbursement rates for behavioral health providers.
Here are some extras from the report:
- Many health plans also said they intend to recruit and retain different behavioral health providers, 83%.
- Efforts are also being made to improve access to behavioral health. The vast majority of insurers (83%) are assisting enrollees in finding available appointments; 83% say they are assisting patients with care navigation and support; 78% say they are using a dedicated case manager and follow up patients after inpatient care.
- AHIP found that a growing number of health insurance providers are taking steps to integrate behavioral health with primary care. This includes 72% of health plans training and supporting primary care providers in caring for patients with mild/moderate behavioral health conditions, 72% assisting primary care providers in finding behavioral health specialist referral partners, and 56% for primary care Providers offer telemedicine or telephone consultations with behavioral health specialists.
Kate Berry, senior vice president of clinical affairs and strategic partnerships at AHIP, said in a statement. Press Releases“While a great deal has been done, health insurance providers recognize the need to address systemic challenges. This can only be achieved through a concerted effort by all health care stakeholders to ensure Americans can afford the high rates they deserve. Quality mental health support.”
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