Skip to Content
Issues

Mental Health

Our Position

Mental health is an important part of a person’s overall health and well-being. Every day, health insurance providers work with people, providers, and communities to ensure access to mental health care and support. That includes reaching out to more members, especially those at high risk, expanding telehealth, and creating new programs to support good mental health. We are working hard to ensure that mental and behavioral health treatment is covered at levels that are on par with physical health treatment. Health insurance providers are using effective solutions to coordinate and integrate mental health with medical and physical health care and help reduce the stigma associated with mental health conditions.

We’re making progress – more people are getting treatment they need. But we need to do much more. We need more behavioral health experts, more robust accreditation standards to ensure patients are getting good care, and continued integration of mental health into patients’ overall health.

Resources

Changing Our Mental Health Approach to Save Lives

How do we make sure no one has to suffer in silence? That mental well-being is considered just as important as physical health— and to drive down self-harm attempts?

We talk about it. We prioritize it. And we change the whole ecosystem of care to prevent, identify, and treat long before someone is in crisis. AHIP’s very own Robert Traynham was joined by Cara McNulty, DPA, president, behavioral health & mental well-being, CVS Health, for a new episode of Conversations in Care. This conversation, debuting on World Mental Health Day, showcases how CVS Health and Aetna drove down suicide attempts by 16.3% among their community members and what it takes to create lasting change.

Health Insurance Providers Actions Concerning Behavioral Health

Health insurance providers see firsthand the vital role that behavioral health plays in overall health. Working together, we can improve affordable access and high-quality mental health and substance use disorder care—so everyone can get the care they need, when they need it, to achieve their best health.

Learn More

News

How Workplace Coverage Delivers Much-Needed Mental Health Care

Employer-provided coverage plans continue to play an important role in providing and expanding access to these vital services across the nation.

Proposed Rule Hinders Affordable Access to Critical Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder Care

Mental health care is health care. AHIP underscored this in a comment letter to the Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Labor.

Conversations in Care: Changing Our Mental Health Approach to Save Lives: Cara McNulty

The Conversations in Care video series featuring AHIP's Robert Traynham and Cara McNulty

AHIP State Contacts

Find contact information for AHIP state affairs staff and view state-specific resources.

View States