Unfortunately, in Colorado, there is a growing need for youth mental health services, and a growing percentage of youth are not receiving the help they need.
A Study 2023 The Colorado Health Institute found that 22.3% of Coloradans ages 5 to 25 reported poor mental health, and 18.6% of young adults said they needed mental health care but did not get it in the past year — and both of these measures increased by three. Fold the study found that the last decade.
We are in the midst of a youth mental health crisis New report The nonprofit Colorado Health Institute also shows that commercial health insurance coverage is not up to the task.
The report found that employer insurance plans do not cover comprehensive mental health services for youth — and doing so would be prohibitively expensive for employers. Current efforts to reform commercial insurance do not take into account expenses that are inherently passed on to employers or purchasers of insurance in the exchange. The report further concluded that a program that allows employers and families to leverage existing and robust Medicaid coverage for children could lead to better and more affordable access to mental health care for youth.
As president Speaking with our mindsthe non-profit organization that commissioned the latest report, I am laser-focused on creating an effective system of care to address the youth mental health crisis.
We need solutions now, and one of them is affordable that doesn’t create costly burdens for the business community or our families, or put commercial insurance off the hook. Allowing employers and families access to Medicaid coverage would provide our youth with the services they need while keeping insurance plans financially viable.
Enrolling in Medicaid would allow private insurance clients and others who do not qualify for traditional Medicaid to purchase the full range of behavioral health services for children and youth from their state’s Medicaid program, rather than obtaining this coverage through their health insurance company. Private insurance will continue to cover all other services but will pay subscription costs to fulfill its obligations to meet coverage requirements and network adequacy.
So why do Medicaid plans fare so well when commercial insurance plans fall so short? Follow the money.
Most importantly, the regulatory structure and financial incentives of private insurance mean that the critical benefits of addressing the youth mental health crisis—including prevention, screening, and early diagnosis—are often not covered. Private insurance tends to focus on high-end health care, the type of care that specialists and doctors can bill for. Early detection and intervention are critical components of providing impactful mental health care to youth, but adding these services to employer health insurance plans would likely cause costs to skyrocket and become unaffordable for companies.
Meanwhile, Medicaid’s behavioral health services for children and teens are part of the program’s comprehensive benefits package, known as Early and periodic examination, diagnosis and treatment. It includes a robust set of benefits and aims to ensure that children receive early detection and care to treat health problems through regular health and developmental check-ups. In theory, Medicaid offers a richer array of behavioral health benefits.
In 2023 National survey According to the Nonprofit Business Group on Health, 77% of employers reported an increase in mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder among their workers and their families. Companies offer health insurance as a benefit and want to make sure their employees have access to the services they and their families need. The option to enroll in Medicaid for youth mental health services could mean significant cost savings for employer plans.
The concept of enrolling in Medicaid for youth mental health services is gaining support in the Colorado State Assembly. Sen. Dafna Michaelson Gennette, a Democrat from Commerce City, is motivated to take action that could include legislation this session.
As we continue to look for ways to ensure our children and teens get the mental health care they need and deserve, I call on all Coloradans to reach out to their representatives and ask them to explore the possibility of enrolling in Medicaid Youth Mental Health Services.
Every day we waste is another day our youth pay the price for our failures.
Heidi Baskfield, of Denver, is the executive director of Speak Our Minds, a Colorado-based nonprofit focused on creating a comprehensive system of mental health care for youth.
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