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The Covid-19 pandemic has unleashed countless health care challenges and inefficiencies. In particular, because mental health requires surgery, it is impossible to find accessible and affordable mental health services.
According to the World Health Organization, the epidemic has “increased the prevalence of anxiety and depression by 25% worldwide.” In the first nine months of Covid-19, the United States saw a doubling, with anxiety increasing by 50% and depression by 44%. Among adults ages 18 to 29, the rates are even higher, at 65% and 61%.
Social isolation, confinement and prescription, fear of death and disease, increased stress from lost work or different workplaces, and the loss of a loved one are some of the factors that contribute to the increase in mental health conditions. But the most terrifying and inexcusable problem with suffering is a simple one – affordable mental health services are simply not accessible in our health care system.
The biggest barrier to accessible mental health care in our country is that large insurance companies often limit coverage and intentionally narrow nets to increase profitability. This is unfortunately not new; The idea that American patients can’t get proper care because of the greed of insurers is so ubiquitous that “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver revealed their pure gluttony in a recent monologue.
According to Bloomberg, some insurers have created ghost markets, which are providers’ insurance directories full of clinics that aren’t accepting new patients or aren’t in that insurer’s coverage network. Some of the information listed in these directories even go to mortuary clinics or are completely incorrect phone numbers. This is a widely used tactic that creates a barrier between patients and providers, preventing many Americans from getting the help they so desperately need.
Even when patients are able to connect with an in-network provider, they are often denied coverage. Oliver found that an evaluator contracted by Anthem rejected an average of 92% of coverage claims; And unfortunately, he was not alone.
This lack of coverage not only leaves American patients without care, but also exacerbates the shortage of providers, clinics, and hospitals trying to help. According to the Association for Behavioral Health Care, for every 10 clinicians who enter mental health clinics, 13 leave.
He worries about how much patients will be forced to pay, how much mental health providers will be reimbursed, and how much insurers will pay out of pocket. According to the American Justice Association, the US insurance industry earns $1 trillion from premiums alone. In the first quarter of this year, the top five health insurance companies earned $262.8 billion. Let that sink in.
Insurance companies to be responsible, period. As America’s mental health crisis worsens, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and allow five insurance companies to make more than $260 billion in restrictive mental health policies in three months.
Jack Kalavritinos is the Director of Governmental and External Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services and former Associate Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. This column is provided by InsideSources.com.
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