Mental health has been lurking in the shadows for many years and the pandemic has placed a spotlight on its back.
One year of chaos, isolation and fear has resulted in a drastic increase in mental health concerns in the U.S. According to the 2021 State of Mental Health in America report, the levels of anxiety and depression have skyrocketed and 19% (47.1 million) of Americans now have a mental health condition. We are simultaneously fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and a mental health pandemic.
Many people have struggled with mental health problems long before the pandemic introduced itself, but the conversation has become louder and more prominent. With increased suicide rates among children and adults, we are urged to take a look at what is being done to address these issues and support families. Are we relying on traditional health insurance benefits? Do we need to continue our efforts in moving toward more innovative and emerging solutions that employees and dependents can tap into?
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The reality is this topic can no longer be overlooked. As employers, it's important to ask your teams if they feel supported in their mental health journey and determine if more needs to be done. Consider reviewing and incorporating the following mental health benefit offerings:
- Through the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act (MHPAEA), group health plans and health insurance issuers that provide mental health or substance use disorder benefits must be equal to the medical or surgical benefits that are covered. The question to determine with your workforce is – are these benefits sufficient or do I need to offer voluntary benefits that can supplement these?
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) provide free and confidential counseling services to speak on topics that affect mental and emotional wellbeing, including grief, family problems, psychological disorders and more. An employer can choose to offer an EAP on a standalone basis or through another benefit, such as life insurance.
- One of the more promising shifts during this pandemic has been the increased access to telehealth appointments for patients to interact with their providers virtually. This option is available within many health plans or could be offered as a voluntary benefit. With the easy access that allows people to face their mental health questions in a more relaxed setting, this virtual interaction will likely become part of the new normal.
- There are a growing number of apps that employers can help make employees aware of that can provide further support of their mental health and wellbeing. For example, AbleTo is a virtual behavioral healthcare portal, and Mindstrong provides virtual therapy through your mobile device. Similar tools are sure to be the next option on the mental health market as the need increases.
Mental health has been lurking in the shadows for many years and the pandemic has placed a spotlight on its back. With conversations increasing and concerns rising, there has never been a greater sense of urgency to further the conversation by continuing to advocate for mental and emotional wellbeing.
When we are unable to move through our issues in a healthy manner, we cannot perform well. Mental and physical health go hand-in-hand and one is equally as important as the other. While employers cannot change an employee's situation, they can ensure a productive and overall healthy workplace by listening to and meeting the needs of their team members.
Tiffany Stiller has been with the Carrier Relations team at BenefitMall since 1999, and was named Vice President of Carrier Relations in 2004. Stiller is responsible for negotiating carrier contracts and maintaining strong relationships with BenefitMall's carrier partners nationwide. She is also heavily involved with new product design and implementation.
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