How are health plans meeting behavioral health needs of members?

By Claire Thayer, May 23, 2016

There’s been a lot of awareness about mental health lately, especially during the month of May – officially recognized as Mental Health Month, via Mental Health America .  In the spirit of this awareness, AHIP recently released a new 28-page issue brief on behavioral health benefits and mental health coverage from collective case studies of 11 member health plans. This new issue brief, Ensuring Access to Quality Behavioral Health Care: Health Plan Examples, identifies innovative approaches to these key areas:

• Awareness and Education
• Identification and Outreach
• Timely access to care
• Quality measurement
• Evidence-based clinical criteria
• Care Coordination and integration
• Programs targeting opioid use

Health Plans profiled in the report include:

• Anthem
• Beacon Health Options
• Blue Shield of California
• CareFirst
• Cigna
• Health Care Service Corporation
• Health Partners
• Highmark
• Humana
• Kaiser Permanente
• Wellcare

To read this complete Issue Brief: Ensuring Access to Quality Behavioral Health Care: Health Plan Examples