October 10 has been designated World Mental Health Day. This year the theme is workplace mental health. And that’s an important focus given the fact that 76% of U.S. workers, in 2021, reported experiencing at least one symptom of a mental health condition.
In addition to the personal toll it takes, there are economic costs as well. Missed work due to employee depression was estimated to cost the U.S. economy $47.6 billion annually in lost productivity, acorrding to 2022 analysis.
To address this situation, in 2023 the Business Roundtable created a workplace initiative as it believed more needs to be done even given the fact that 90% of employers provide employee assistance programs for mental health services and 86% provide mental health coverage.
They recommend a three-pronged policy strategy:
- Improve screening for mental health and substance abuse disorder needs and promote measurement-based care.
- Enhance collaboration between employers and the federal government related to mental health parity requirements.
- Increase support for and access to behavior health providers.
On September 8, 2024, the Business Roundtable brought together senior business executives, federal policymakers and community leaders for a Workforce Mental Health Summit in Washington, D.C.
"Employers have an unmatched relationship of trust with their workers and are integral to supporting their access to care," said David M. Cordani, CEO of The Cigna Group, in a statement. "Yet this cannot be a one-and-done initiative – if we truly want to move the needle, and build a stronger, more resilient, healthier nation, it will take all of us pulling together in the same direction."
At the summit companies such as Accenture, USAA, and Rockwell Automation participated in panels. "CEOs understand the important role they play in addressing employee mental health and dismantling the stigma, and they are committed to being a part of the solution," said Business Roundtable CEO Joshua Bolten, in a statement.
Business Roundtable urges action on several policies, including:
- Investing in mental health support, as established in bipartisan legislation like the CARES Act and the Safer Communities Act.
- Authorizing additional funding to states, schools and employers for the purpose of enhancing mental health screening programs.
- Supporting additional guidance from the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services to group health plans and employers on how to comply with new mental health parity requirements.
- Extending current telehealth policy that allows employers to offer high-deductible health plans paired with health savings accounts to cover telehealth services without a deductible or prior to the deductible.
- Expanding the use and adoption of the Collaborative Care Model to integrate MH/SUD services into primary care and other evidence-based integrated care models.
- Expanding training in measurement-based care and other evidence-based care delivery models.
- Expanding support for wraparound community services and mobile crisis centers to fill gaps in care, particularly in rural areas.
- With guardrails to ensure quality and safety, permanently allow behavioral health providers to practice across state lines and behavioral health providers with a medical license and accreditation to practice virtually.
- Expand support for workforce initiatives, particularly those efforts focused on expanding access to culturally and linguistically competent providers and on improving access in underserved areas of the country.
- Promote interoperability/exchange of mental health assessment/outcomes data.
