4 Ways Payers Can Invest In Mental and Behavioral Healthcare

Recent investments from WellCare of New Jersey, a Centene subsidiary, demonstrate four ways that payers can dedicate resources toward mental and behavioral healthcare, including investing in provider and public training programs, call centers, and hotlines.

First, WellCare of New Jersey is funding trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy training programs. The program will inform cohorts of providers—in New Jersey and across the nation—how best to support frontline workers and those emotionally affected by the pandemic. Allegheny Health Network and the CARES Institute at Rowan University have partnered with WellCare of New Jersey to offer this training.

Warmlines—as opposed to hotlines—are another form of emotional support for those who are in the early stages of a mental health crisis or are believed to be at risk. These call lines tend to be staffed by peers who have experience with mental health conditions. Whereas most hotlines help individuals who may be on the brink of suicide receive emergency care, staffers on a warmline provide a free, intermediary step for individuals who simply need advice finding a therapist or are not in a crisis but would like to access mental healthcare support.

WellCare of New Jersey is investing in a New Jersey warmline call center that is experiencing heightened demand for its behavioral healthcare services.

A third portion of WellCare’s investment will go toward Mental Health First Aid training for the public.

The National Council for Behavioral Health offers this live training program that employs role-playing to teach the public how to assess and intervene in cases of mental health and behavioral healthcare. However, during the current crisis, the organization cannot conduct in-person trainings, although the program is highly relevant to the current circumstances.

WellCare of New Jersey’s financial support will go toward transitioning in-person classes to virtual training sessions.

Lastly, Centene, WellCare’s parent company, is donating $500,000 toward the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The national organization connects victims of domestic violence with support by phone call, chat, or text.

Experts have been anticipating that quarantine and social isolation would produce a higher rate of domestic violence cases. In mid-May 2020, a quarter of providers expected to see a rise in domestic violence cases following the pandemic, the Primary Care Collaborative and the Larry A. Green Center found.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline confirmed that this was the case. The hotline’s volume of contact since mid-May increased by 12 percent, WellCare of New Jersey noted.

“We must consider the negative toll the pandemic is taking on the mental health – especially among underserved communities,” said John Kirchner, WellCare's Plan President and CEO in New Jersey. "We will continue to support New Jersey residents across the continuum of care throughout the pandemic and beyond.”

Payers are investing in mental and behavioral healthcare in various ways as the demand for greater support continues to increase from patients and healthcare workers alike.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts saw its telehealth claims jump from 200 visits a day in February 2020 to 38,000 each day in May of the same year. In the last nine weeks, the total number of telehealth visits hit 1 million.

Over 50 percent of the visits are mental healthcare-related, the payer discovered.

“It's clear that the mental health impact of the pandemic will be felt for quite some time, even after we start the transition to a new normal,” said Ken Duckworth, MD, senior medical director for behavioral health at Blue Cross.

As a result of these behavioral and mental healthcare demands, payers have been expanding their mental healthcare networks as Blue Cross did. They have also been opening up separate helplines for mental and behavioral healthcare needs with other helplines for unrelated conditions as well as support systems specifically designed for healthcare workers.

As the future remains uncertain, one thing that many experts remain certain of is that the mental and behavioral health fallout of coronavirus will continue to grow, which means that payers will need to shift into long-term solutions.