Blue Cross MN Commercial Plans Will Cover Peer Support Specialists

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) is improving member access to mental health resources by adding coverage of peer support specialists to commercial plans next year.

“As the leading health plan in the state, Blue Cross wants to set a new standard for how to extend this important benefit to more Minnesotans,” Lauren Foster, principal program manager of behavioral health at Blue Cross, said in the press release.

“With the national conversation around mental health continuing to show greater understanding about the links between behavioral and medical healthcare, we are proud to be taking this important step to connect people with the strength and understanding that comes from others who have gone through similar challenges.”

Peer support specialists are non-clinical, trained individuals who use their lived experiences to support people facing mental health challenges. These specialists are particularly beneficial for those who think their situation is not considered traditional healthcare, feelings that can lead to people delaying critical treatment.

Blue Cross will be Minnesota’s first nonprofit health plan to offer peer support specialist coverage to members with employer-sponsored health insurance and those with individual and family plans. Members with eligible plans can access the benefit at no cost when it is coordinated by an in-network provider starting on January 1, 2024.

The benefit will include coverage of three types of peer support specialists. Certified family peer specialists have experience raising a child with a mental health or substance use disorder. They can help parents and families in similar situations with managing treatment goals.

Certified peer specialists have had a mental health diagnosis and can support members through their recovery. Similarly, peer recovery specialists use their previous substance use diagnosis to assist members with their recovery journey.

Today, 140 agencies in Minnesota employ peer support specialists. Blue Cross expects this number to grow as demand for the resource increases.

The payer’s health maintenance organization (HMO) arm Blue Plus has provided a peer support specialist benefit for members enrolled in plans offered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) since 2009. Blue Cross started working with DHS in 2022 to understand the best way to provide this benefit for Blue Plus members in commercial plans.

The peer specialist support benefit in fully insured commercial plans is subject to regulatory review and approval by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Department of Health. Self-insured commercial group plans can add peer support specialist coverage to their benefit design for the 2024 plan year.

The benefit addition follows the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) release of the National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification. The standards are a part of the Biden Administration’s strategy to address the country’s mental health crisis, which includes boosting the adoption, recognition, and integration of the peer mental health workforce.

The peer support specialists offered by Blue Cross plans have credentials that reflect SAMHSA’s national certification model standards.

Adding new benefits available at no cost is a common way health plans can improve member access to mental healthcare services. Additionally, health plans have expanded their provider networks to connect more members to behavioral and mental healthcare.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts welcomed new primary mental health and specialty mental health providers to its network to facilitate member access to in-person and virtual mental healthcare and substance use disorder services.

Similarly, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas expanded its provider network, allowing members to access behavioral health providers through the organization Headway.