USA. Behavioral Health: Patient Access, Provider Claims Payment, and the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic
USA. Behavioral Health: Patient Access, Provider Claims Payment, and the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic
How has the need for and availability of services for mental health and substance use disorders changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Evidence suggests these conditions increased while access to care decreased.
Centers for Disease Control surveys found about 38% of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety or depression from April 2020 through Feb. 2021—up from about 11% in 2019
Emergency department visits for overdoses and suicide attempts from mid-March to mid-Oct. 2020 were up 36% and 26%, respectively, from 2019
Many behavioral health service providers reported increasing demand and decreasing staff sizes
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE, GAO-21-437R, 30.04.2021,