Use of mental health care increased substantially during the coronavirus pandemic, as teletherapy lowered barriers to regular visits, according to a large study of insurance claims published Friday in JAMA Health Forum.
From March 2020 to August 2022, mental health visits increased by 39 percent, and spending increased by 54 percent, the study found.
Its examination of 1,554,895 claims for clinician visits also identified a tenfold increase in the use of telehealth.
The study covers visits for around seven million adults throughout the country who receive health insurance through their employers, so it excludes many patients with very severe mental illnesses, and it does not cover acute or residential care.
The increases are likely to be sustained, even as insurers weigh the benefit of continuing to pay more, said Christopher M. Whaley, a health care economist at the RAND Corporation and an author of the study.
Persons:
Christopher M, Whaley
Organizations:
RAND Corporation