The Hill (4/30, Coleman) reported, “Access to mental health services dwindled as [healthcare professionals] were strained and under the demand for care during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a” GAO report. The agency’s report “concluded that the number of people experiencing anxiety, depression and drug overdoses heightened during the pandemic, while mental health professionals dealt with layoffs, decreased hours and having to turn away patients.”
Kaiser Health News (4/30, Huetteman) said the GAO report “also casts doubt on whether insurers are abiding by federal law requiring parity in insurance coverage, which forbids health plans from passing along more of the bill for mental health care to patients than they would for medical or surgical care.”
Related Links:
— “Access to mental health services dwindled as pandemic need strained providers: GAO report “Justine Coleman, The Hill, April 30, 2021