As demand for mental health services climbs, the business community continues to broaden Employee Assistance Programs, strengthen behavioral health coverage, and pour resources into wellness initiatives
Awareness is one thing. Access is another: Americans often run into waitlists that drag on too long and care that costs too much. This problem is more acute in rural areas and underserved communities, where the nearest qualified clinician might be an hour’s drive away, assuming you can afford the appointment when you get there.
That’s the gap Protecting Americans’ Coverage Together (PACT) is working to close. The coalition, which champions employer-provided coverage, has advanced a slate of policy recommendations meant to optimize mental healthcare and build on what employers are already doing, and calls on lawmakers to remove the obstacles standing between patients and treatment.
Start with telehealth: The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that virtual visits can support people in areas with few providers or limited ability to travel. PACT wants Congress to preserve the telehealth flexibilities that emerged from the COVID era and build on them, rather than letting this progress slip away.
- The coalition has also been clear about the healthcare industry’s workforce shortage. Demand keeps rising, but the pipeline of providers can’t keep up as burnout is widespread and retirements are on the horizon. Fixing it means investing in training programs, actively recruiting new clinicians, and supporting community-based care.
But, there’s an integration challenge: Mental health conditions rarely exist in isolation. They’re tangled up with chronic illness, stress, substance use, and physical health generally. PACT is throwing its support behind coordinated care models that bring behavioral and primary care under one roof, an approach that will deliver better outcomes and prevent the stigma that still stops people from seeking care.
Mental healthcare in America needs more than good intentions and a month on the calendar. It needs more providers, greater infrastructure, and policies that treat behavioral health like the essential care it actually is.
Employers have shown they’re ready to step up. Political leaders must support them.
