- Key insight: Discover how shifting mental health benefit enrollment to the off-cycle affects utilization.
- What's at stake: Employers that wait for their workers' mental health engines to burn out.
- Forward look: Expect organizations making mental health benefit changes to utilize off-cycle enrollment.
Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
Benefit advisers need to help their employer clients ensure that access to mental health treatment is not only affordable but timely, according to John Troutman, vice president of business development for MindClub America, which will improve utilization and outcomes.
One great conversation starter is to ask a client how stress is affecting their productivity. "They probably don't know, but ask them to ask their employees," said Troutman in a recent webinar on the topic. "This is going to give you a huge advantage over your competitors because you will have the tool to let them know how quickly employees can access counseling."
Likening this issue to the need for scheduled maintenance on a vehicle, he asked rhetorically: "What would happen to a car if you never change the oil and never rotated the tires? This is what employers are doing with their employee population. When it comes to their mental health, they're waiting for their engine to burn out in their brain."
Very few organizations offer a stand-alone mental health benefit, according to Lester Morales, founder and CEO of Dysrupt Healthcare, which produced the event. He described service providers like MindClub America as invaluable in that they handle not only administrative back-office tasks, scheduling and marketing, but also compensate mental providers in a way that's equal to if not better than traditional insurance.
These vendors are paid on a per-visit basis, which incentivizes employees to actually use the benefit, unlike the case with employee assistance programs (EAPs) with uptake averages of less than 5%. MindClub America is experiencing about 70% regular engagement on the front end.
Troutman encouraged advisers to take a closer look at preventative and proactive EAPs to avert crises and the accompanying ripple effect of damage that is seen across various metrics. He urged them to look for EAP models that give employees daily tools, and faster access to counseling but also supportive groups such as virtual communities, some of which are free of charge. That early intervention will pay significant dividends.
"Many times, people just need to talk to someone, and it doesn't require 12 hours of counseling," he said. "They just need a little bit of inspiration or coaching in that day and in that moment. And they may not need all the professional counseling that could be involved."
Mounting stress levels
Troutman has noticed considerable interest in improving mental health benefits across both blue-collar and white-collar professions that include manufacturing, retail, hospitality, banking and education.
One such example is truck drivers who struggle being apart from their family while racking up miles across the country. Another is bankers who may face critical-incident or stress-management scenarios involving a robbery attempt. A third group is veterinarians whose job includes the difficult emotional task of euthanizing pets.
In referencing four college clients he brought on within a recent 10-day period, he said some of the strategic partners who recommended his service went into schools and leveraged the nurse's office for one of his firm's clinicians to provide counseling. Providing mental health services to students in the same place where they receive their physicals can reduce or remove the stigma of receiving this type of care.
"You're going to get people more engaged in the overall health plan and it's going to get healthier outcomes," he explained.
For organizations that plan on making a change in their mental health solution, he said off-cycle enrollment would be more effective. That way, employees can avoid feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of benefits information they receive at annual open enrollment and focus on the new benefits coverage.
"It'll be clear, it'll be more concise, and you're going to get better utilization," he said. "It's going to be a better experience for everyone, it's going to get their families involved in a lot of these plans, and the right partners will do that for your clients."
While benefit professionals often promote wellness exams and other types of wellness, Troutman believes they need to do a better job talking about the importance of mental health check-ins and checkups.
"If you are looking for a way to differentiate yourself in business by leveraging mental health or struggling winning or retaining groups, I guarantee that if you bring up the conversation of a preventative, proactive mental health plan and include that as part of your plan, you are going to see better numbers," he noted.
