How Insurers are Emphasizing Mental Health Benefits
The pandemic undoubtedly intensified the mental health crisis, driving consumers to seek out more support to help manage their overall well-being. Health insurers are offering solutions that will help customers combat these everyday struggles.
Mental health care becomes a greater priority post-pandemic
According to Mintel data, 43% of consumers are paying more attention to their mental health and wellbeing compared to one year ago (37%). With greater attention on mental health, insurers are offering benefits and services to help combat everyday struggles. Brands are leveraging virtual-first services to help keep customers connected 24/7, from anywhere.
Insurers put partnerships on display
Health insurers made sure to call attention to unique partnerships, especially with mental health apps, in both customer-facing and broker communications. For instance, Kaiser Permanente is touting partnerships with Calm, myStrength, and Ginger to offer tools at no extra cost to customers. Amidst the pandemic, more consumers turned toward apps to help manage their mental health and well-being, making these partnerships more important than ever.
Mental Health Awareness month helped drive conversations
May was Mental Health Awareness and Disability Insurance Month, which gave many insurers a platform to speak about their mental health services. While many insurers provided customers access to resources, others used the time to reach out to brokers and encourage them to market these benefits to their clients. Insurers also made promises to make mental health a greater priority all year long.
What we think
The way in which consumers are managing their mental health and well-being is changing post-pandemic. Not only are consumers paying more attention to their overall well-being, but they’re also turning to non-traditional resources, like apps rather than therapists, to help manage anxiety and depression. Insurers will need to continue to evolve and provide easily accessible services for their members in the year ahead.
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