As behavioral and mental health services continue to be a priority for Americans, those within the employer-provided insurance system are increasingly seeing access to providers who have adopted a collaborative care model, a critical tool for integrating behavioral health services with primary care. These are the results of a new report by Milliman, which found providers in the commercial market – dominated by employer coverage – increased participation in collaborative care models by 6.9 times nationally from 2018 to 2022, or 545 providers to 3,741 providers, respectively. This number escalated even further in 2023 by 9.1 times, or 4,972 providers.
The report also found patients receiving collaborative care services in the commercial market increased 16.6 times since 2018 – from 1,649 to 27,444 patients – and further increased to 22.2 times in 2023, or 36,589 patients.
The expansion and adoption of the collaborative care model was one of the three policy recommendations released last year by Protecting Americans’ Coverage Together (PACT) to modernize mental health care in the United States. By coordinating a patient’s primary care provider with their behavioral health manager or counselor, patients can receive a more aligned treatment plan, which can better meet individual patient needs, improve early detection, help reduce costs, and improve overall health outcomes.
Clinicians, employers, and patients have recognized that behavioral health and physical health are often interrelated. The increased adoption of this type of care underscores how the employer-provided insurance system, which covers more than 180 million Americans, is stepping up to meet patients’ needs and make care more effective today and in the years to come.
Learn more about the reforms that PACT has championed to promote better mental health.
PACT Initiative
The Protecting Americans' Coverage Together campaign is a coalition that includes the U.S Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, Vermeer Corporation, the National Association of Manufacturers and Council for Affordable Health Coverage. PACT represents leading employer voices focused on strengthening employer-provided coverage and protecting the benefits that American families depend on for their health.
