Mental Health Care – It’s Covered.

In this “It’s Covered” series, we’re delving into the many health care services that Gravie’s Comfort™ plan covers that most traditional plans don’t.

It’s no secret these days that taking care of mental and emotional health is just as important to leading a long, healthy life as taking care of one’s physical health. But if that’s the case, why are mental and behavioral health services still not adequately covered under most traditional health plans?

The 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires insurance companies to treat mental and behavioral health and substance use disorder coverage equal to (or better than) medical/surgical coverage. That means that patients have the legal right to equal access and coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatment services as they would any other medical service, and this applies to cost sharing and annual treatment limits. However, inadequate provider networks and unreasonable criteria to qualify for coverage still leave many in need of critical mental health treatment in traditional health plans.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its vast implications has led to traumatic experiences for many, negatively affecting many people’s mental health and creating new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness. Even with the light seemingly at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic, many are moving forward in a new reality and with new health challenges. Never has it been more critical to improve access to mental health care, addressing the needs of the whole person rather than just acute physical ailments.

Accessing mental health services can often feel confusing and expensive, but Gravie offers a refreshingly simple experience with health benefits members can actually use. With Comfort, members can access a wide array of mental health services at no cost. Some of these no-cost services with Comfort include:

• Ongoing visits with your mental health therapist
• Weekly telemedicine visits via MDLive with a psychologist to receive mental health treatment
• Taking generic prescriptions daily and getting them filled every month

By covering an unprecedented amount of services, Comfort empowers members to be proactive about their wellbeing and manage their health holistically. For example, regular exercise has been found to improve mental health, and that’s one of the reasons we’ve partnered with Wellbeats to bring members free, on-demand fitness classes such as yoga and HIIT.

After all, mental health is physical health. If someone doesn’t know what’s wrong with their body or if they’re fighting a serious illness, the last thing they need to worry about is whether accessing care will be covered. At Gravie, giving members the peace of mind when it comes to healthcare means less stress and drain on their overall mental health.

To learn more about how you, your employees or your clients can manage mental health effectively with Comfort, contact us.