What are the costs for society that result from ignoring mental health challenges?
Something that I had never considered before entering the field of Behavioral Health was the economic burden to society. As a person in recovery – both in terms of substance abuse and mental health – I was very familiar with the burden at the individual and family levels, and these are by no means insignificant. But what has our cultural avoidance of seriously seeking to provide treatment to those struggling with mental health (of an acuity) cost us in terms of cold hard cash?
The short answer is “there’s no way to really know”. We can calculate a rough estimate based on lack of employment, cost of treatment, and various miscellaneous costs associated with having what can be a chronic disability at a young age. What we cannot calculate is the loss of revenue that might have come from any of the bright minds lost to suicide, or unable to cope with their mental health well enough to fulfill their dreams and aspirations. We can’t put a value on the emotional torment felt by those that struggle, and those close to them who feel helpless in the face of adversity that we continue to understand better every year.
Statistics on the Cost of Ignoring Mental Health
In a study published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2009, they estimate the annual National burden to be about US$57.5 billion per annum (in 2006). This was approximately the equivalent of cancer care that same year, however, the cost for mental health came more from loss of income due to unemployment, social supports, and indirect costs whereas the cost of cancer comes primarily from direct treatment/care.
This may seem astonishing, but only 2 years later the World Economic Forum released a study projecting the global economic cost of heart disease, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, cancer, and mental health from 2010 to 2030. In this study, they share data from the World Health Organization that shows mental health as the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) at 37% of healthy years lost by non-communicable diseases, and an estimated global annual cost increase of US$2.5 trillion in 2010 to over US$6 trillion in 2030. To put this in perspective, the global GDP in 2010 was just under US$63 trillion and the global spending on mental health was US$5.1 trillion.
What Can We Do?
The personal, familial, and societal costs of ignoring mental health are severe. So, what can we do about it? Spread awareness, fight against stigma, make treatment more accessible, become more informed ourselves, and work to create a more inclusive environment. The number of effective medications and treatments continues to increase. Our understanding of the brain and genetics has never been higher. A large part of our mission here at the Overt Foundation is to grow a community that is active and aware. Thank you for your efforts to become better informed. Please join us as we continue learning ourselves and providing that knowledge and treatment to others.
Alvin Robertson
Alvin grew up in Southwest Missouri and struggled with depression and addiction from the age of 11. He also has had extreme social anxiety his whole life. Alvin is a veteran of the US Army, and enjoys spending his time doing martial arts, shooting, and reading. Alvin now works as a Behavioral and Peer Support Specialist at a residential treatment center.
If you or anyone you know is facing mental health challenges and needs support, we can help you.
You can share how you’re feeling or about your experience, or applyto our subsidized therapy program.
I am currently 24 years old, and as I have transitioned into adulthood, one thing that I have yet to be able to fully understand is how health insurance works. I wrote this article as I attempted to understand mental health and how it works with my insurance.
If you were to Google “Health Insurance Horror Stories”, there are 19,600,000 results that appear. Across the world, there are different health insurance systems in different countries, and all of them have their own unique problems. Here in the United States, medical bills are the #1 cause of bankruptcy. In 2016, we spent $3.3 trillion dollars on healthcare. About 49% of Americans get their health insurance through their employer, 19% through Medicaid, 14% through Medicare, 7% through non-group plans, and 2% through public insurers. 9% of Americans are uninsured. There are over 900 health insurance companies. Trying to understand the terms “deductibles”, “out of network”, “HSA’s”, “out-of-pocket maximum”, “premiums”, and so many more can be a headache. On top of it all, understanding if mental health care is covered under your plan, and to what extent, can be a whole other headache itself.
My Personal Experience Trying to Understand Mental Health Insurance Coverage
I decided to do some research to try and understand how mental health works with health insurance and how much it might cost me to get mental health treatment. I have not done research on this before and have not received mental health treatment before. These were my findings after trying to do this for the first time.
First, I went to my healthcare website. Since I am 24, I am still on my parent’s plan, which happens to be Regence Health Care. I signed in and went to a tool that they have that allows me to find doctors near me that specialize in the treatment I am looking for. Then I found a few that were in-network that were close by so that was a good start. Next, I went to a tool that they have, which is supposed to estimate my costs. I could not find anything around mental health, counseling, or therapy, so I am unsure of what this would cost me. I can see my deductible, my annual out-of-pocket maximum but no signs of whether mental health would be covered or discounted at all through my insurance.
After searching around the website, I decided to type in “mental health” on the search bar. I got a message saying, “No Results for “Mental Health” – Check your spelling or try a more general term.” I am not sure what could be more general than mental health, so I concluded that there was nothing on my insurer’s website about my current mental health benefits. I decided to ask around and look online more to see what I could find.
General Information
What I was able to gather from researching online is the following:
The Mental Health Parity Law was passed in 2008 and requires coverage of services for mental health, behavioral health, and substance abuse disorders. The law requires insurance companies to treat mental and behavioral health coverage equal to medical/surgical coverage. This law affects employer-sponsored health coverage, coverage through health insurance exchanges, children’s health insurance programs, and most Medicaid programs.
The parity law does not require every insurer to have a mental health benefit plan, but that there cannot be more restrictive requirements than those that apply to physical health benefits. The Affordable care act does require that plans offered through the health insurers exchange cover services for mental health.
There is a single deductible for physical and mental health benefits. Once your health plan deductible is met, your insurance company should reimburse you for your expenses.
Insurance companies cannot limit the number of mental health therapy sessions per year, but they can manage your care. This means that after a certain number of visits they can evaluate your case to see if additional treatment is necessary.
Something important to remember is that certain mental health providers do not accept insurance. Just because you have health insurance and it covers mental health treatment, does not ensure that you will be able to use it with certain providers.
Understanding Your Own Mental Health Insurance Coverage
The best path in figuring out if your mental health treatment will be covered by your insurance company is to call your mental health service provider ahead of time and check with them to see if they take your insurance. Then, check with your insurance to see if they cover mental health-related treatments and to what extent. You can ask questions like, how much will this $130 therapy session cost me after insurance? Though it may be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, it is best to talk directly to the provider and insurer to try and understand the situation.
Tips:
Figure out which mental health providers are “in-network”. This can be done through your insurance company’s website or by calling them and asking them.
Ask about copayments. Insurance companies require you to pay out-of-pocket copayments for certain services. Even if the treatment is covered under your plan, you may be required to pay a copay every time you visit.
Understand your deductible and whether you have reached it or not.
Ask the provider about their payment policy, and if they will bill the insurance company or if you need to pay in full then submit a claim.
Is cost the only thing holding you back from getting the help you need? Or maybe it is currently costing you an arm and a leg. Whatever your situation is, reach out to your health insurance company and see what benefits are available for mental health.
Ben Roberts, Director of Community
Ben enjoys helping people become their best selves and enjoys working to help solve problems around mental health to ensure that people can live fulfilling lives. He joined the Overt Foundation in April of 2019 and works to help ensure that things run smoothly and that people are getting the help they need.
If you or anyone you know is facing mental health challenges and needs support, we can help you.
You can share how you’re feeling or about your experience, or applyto our subsidized therapy program.
As we approach the 2020 presidential election, there are hot debates about a number of topics. From immigration to health care and gun control to the economy and taxes, there are plenty of problems to be solved. Another topic that is not discussed or debated as much is the growing mental health issues we are facing as a country. Suicide rates and opioid addictions are some of the leading causes of death in the United States. One in five people reports having struggled with mental wellness. With these staggering statistics, it is no wonder that some of our 2020 presidential candidates are speaking out about these issues.
Let’s Take a Look at the Candidates’ Plans
Of the current front runners (as of March 24th, 2020), nearly all of them at least mention mental health issues as part of their platform. Our hope is that after reading this, you can feel more informed on where our future president stands regarding mental health.
In his past government work, Joe helped implement the mental health parity law and worked to eliminate the stigma around mental health. His campaign website states that he will redouble those efforts to ensure the enforcement of mental health parity laws and expand funding for mental health services. Mental health parity laws address the equal treatment of mental health conditions in health insurance plans and help allow people to receive the treatment they need. Joe also participated in an interview about mental health where he goes more into detail on veteran mental health, drug abuse, and opioid addiction, mental health for underserved populations, and more. You can find that here: https://www.mentalhealthforus.net/candidate/joe-biden/
If we look at the candidates still in the race, Bernie
Sanders is probably the most vocal about the need for mental health resources
and healthcare overall. Bernie states that we should be spending more money on
mental health specialists and investing in new drugs and technologies that help
cure diseases and alleviate pain. His Medicare for all plan includes ways to
shift money away from big pharmaceutical companies and health insurance lobbies
and towards the American people. This would help provide mental health care for
Americans that need it at either a low cost or no cost at all. His plan
includes increasing taxes on the wealthy and on corporations in order to pay
for this.
On Trump’s campaign website, there is no mention of mental health. He does discuss the opioid epidemic and that the administration has helped forward $500 million from our national budget towards treating opioid abuse. Despite there not being much on Trump’s campaign website, he has shown that he is committed to helping people struggle with their mental wellness. In December 2019, President Trump announced an increase in mental health spending, which would go on to help the opioid crisis, veterans, and early mental health problems detection. President Trump has mentioned he recognizes the long-term benefits of addressing mental health with strategies and programs that have shown positive outcomes.
The Impact of a Candidate’s Mental Health Plan
After looking at the data, there is no question that our
nation, and even the world, is having trouble combatting the mental health
problems we face today. It is my belief that the private sector, the government,
and we as friends, family, neighbors, and strangers need to come together and
help combat the problems we face today. It is possible that a certain
candidate’s mental health policy won’t sway your vote one way or the other, but
it is a factor to consider, and one that may become more important in the
future.
Whatever political stance you may take, we invite you to
investigate further into your candidate’s mental health plan. See if it lines
up with your belief and if they are working to address the mental health
problems our nation is facing. And if you’re up for it, share your mental
health journey with us at overtfoundation.org/share.
If you’re interested in seeing some of the past candidates’ ideas, see below:
Warren mentions that we must “prioritize affordable, high-quality mental health services.” She introduces her “Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act”, which would holder insurers accountable for providing mental health benefits and ensure that Americans receive the protections they are guaranteed by law. She also mentions investing $100 billion dollars over the next 10 years in fighting the opioid crisis, which would go towards the people on the front line: first responders, public health departments, and communities on the front line.
Andrew Yang has specific ideas around the opioid epidemic as
well as investing in mental health. He mentions specific ideas such as
mandatory postpartum depression screening, increasing resources for social
workers in rural areas, and encouraging major health care systems to integrate
mental health professionals into their primary care. Yang is also big on
technology and discusses ways we can integrate new and emerging technologies
into our future mental health treatments.
Pete’s website includes a specific section on mental health and combatting addiction. He hopes to prevent 1 million deaths due to drugs, alcohol, and suicide by 2028. Buttigieg will also empower communities to leverage their own innovation and expertise to improve mental health and prevent addiction through a 10-year $100 billion Healing and belonging grant program. He hopes to decriminalize mental illnesses, require schools to teach mental health first aid courses, and help ensure that mental health care is as accessible as treatment for physical conditions.
On Bloomberg’s campaign website, there was no mention of mental health in his health coverage policy section. He does have a separate section about the opioid epidemic, where he states that he hopes to help hospitals be better equipped to fight these issues and enforce current laws surrounding mental health treatment and substance abuse disorders.
Ben Roberts, Director of Community
Ben enjoys helping people become their best selves and enjoys working to help solve problems around mental health to ensure that people can live fulfilling lives. He joined the Overt Foundation in April of 2019 and works to help ensure that things run smoothly and that people are getting the help they need.
If you or anyone you know is facing mental health challenges and needs support, we can help you.
You can share how you’re feeling or about your experience, or applyto our subsidized therapy program.
