Overall spending for behavioral health services increased by 53.7 percent from 2019 to 2022, a study published Aug. 25 in JAMA Health Forum found.
The study examined claims data for over 7 million people with commercial insurance. The study examined increases in utilization and costs over two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers defined the acute period of the pandemic as March to December 2020, and the post-acute phase as December 2020 to August 2022.
The study found during the acute phase, mental health service utilization rose by 22.3 percent overall, and costs rose by 29.5 percent, compared to baseline levels in 2019.
By August 2022, mental health utilization was 38.8 percent higher than in 2019, and spending was 53.7 percent higher.
"These findings suggest that telehealth utilization for mental health services remains persistent and elevated. If this increased utilization affects spending, insurers may begin rejecting the new status quo," the researchers wrote.
The study was authored by researchers at the RAND Corporation, healthcare navigation company Castlight Health and Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, R.I.
Read the full study here.