Why mental health care support is good for everyone

By Charity Gourley and Emily Shettel

Mental health benefits were once seen as nice to have, but not necessarily essential. After the pandemic, that changed. For many Trusts, the need for dedicated mental health support became very apparent, with many asking how they can help support people before they reach a crisis point.

Mental health challenges affect both participants and plans

According to a 2024 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), nearly 25% of adults in the US have recently experienced a mental health condition, with about 9% of those managing substance use disorder at the same time.

Participants often manage mounting stress and distress in silence – even when drowning in it. This can lead to lower productivity, short fuses, being dangerously distracted on worksites, more missed days, and increased chronic pain and weakened immune systems. In turn, these participant struggles often impact plans with more frequent claims, lower hours, and the higher cost of crisis care compared to preventive care.

Two things health plans can do for the health of participants and the plan

There are many ways that Trusts can empower participants to ask for and access the help they need. From providing access to affordable and high-quality care and easy-to-access information about plan resources, to openly discussing the prevalence of mental health challenges to reduce stigma.

1. Build mental health care into the plan

Most medical plans include a variety of mental health care options, but often participants aren’t aware of these resources, and don’t know how to access them. Unfortunately, as someone’s mental health declines, so does their ability to take positive steps to seek out help or information.

Here are a few ways to incorporate mental health care into a plan, while encouraging participant engagement:

• Have an Employee/Member Assistance Program – Stress comes in many forms and can arise from challenges with relationships, finances, time management, and much more. EAPs are excellent at helping participants manage stress to avoid a crisis. They can broaden access to providers (such as low to no cost couple’s counseling) and connect participants to other plan resources.
• Make substance abuse support easy to access – Seeking help with a substance use disorder can feel impossibly hard for many. Plans can work with vendors to tackle any barriers, such as claim denials, confusing requirements, or concerns around confidentiality.
• Encourage use of Care and Case Management – When someone is facing a crisis, expecting them to navigate the healthcare system alone can lead to higher plan costs and mounting stress and frustration for the participant. Care and Case Management can be triggered by claims data and referrals from the provider, TPA, and others, but is very often under used. Plans can work with vendors to improve outreach and educate participants about these services.
• Make plan requirements understandable – If someone is facing a leave of absence or the need for long term ongoing mental health care, making sure that plan requirements and policies are clear and easy to access can help. In addition, benefits with generous visit amounts, low co-pays and access to case management could support the use of these services.

2. Promote programs and services

A common complaint with mental health services is that participants simply aren’t using them. At the same time, when polled, many participants express an interest in having these services. What’s causing this divide is often a lack of awareness. Plans rely on vendor communications, don’t promote programs past an SMM or other announcement, or lack dedicated web resources with detailed information.

• Communicate consistently and frequently – Advertisers know that if they want you to buy a product that they need to advertise to you on a regular basis. This is true for wellness and other plan programs as well. Ongoing and targeted communications help you educate participants about programs, encourage use, and keep benefits top of mind.
• Encourage a culture of support – Mental health care still carries a stigma. Creating an environment where leaders actively promote mental health programs, materials are coming directly from the Trust, and conversations around mental health are normalized can help encourage participants to reach out for help.
• Make use of vendor resources – Many EAP programs offer resources such as onsite trainings or webinars, customizable communications, apps, video libraries and more. These resources are often underutilized but can make a big impact on the success of the program.

Supporting participants with their mental health isn’t just about adding more resources—it’s about making those resources accessible, visible, and safe to use. It’s about recognizing that early support is easier, more effective, and less costly than waiting for a crisis to occur.

Curious about how you can promote and improve mental health care on your plans? Please contact us.