Workers with mental health needs face access woes
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
People with mental health conditions are twice as likely to report difficulties getting needed medical care as those without, according to a new survey of U.S. adults with workplace coverage shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: The findings from the Employee Benefit Research Institute provide more evidence that having health insurance doesn't automatically translate to having access, especially for people with mental health needs.
By the numbers: Just over a quarter (27%) of 3,103 respondents surveyed in March and April said they or someone on their health coverage had a mental health condition.
- But 31% of that cohort said they've been unable to get some form of necessary medical care in the last six months, compared with 15% of those who reported no mental health conditions.
- 62% of respondents with a mental health condition on their plan said they'd gone to the emergency room in the past six months — meaning they were 50% likelier to seek emergency care.
Zoom in: 32% of people with mental health needs who couldn't get care said their doctor refused to accept their insurance, compared with 17% of people without mental health conditions.
- Among people who had trouble accessing care, those with mental health needs were likelier to encounter doctors who didn't speak their native language and be unable to take time off work or get child care.
- A higher percentage of respondents in the cohort without mental health conditions said they couldn't afford care, didn't know where to get it or that the wait took too long.
- The research was funded by a grant from Path Forward, a coalition of health care organizations focused on improving access to mental health and substance use care.
Yes, but: The survey shows that employees with mental health needs tend to be more engaged with their health care than those without.
- For example, 49% of workers with mental health needs on their coverage checked the quality rating of a provider before going to them, compared with 37% of people without.
