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Oct 10, 2025
Employers can do more to track the efficacy of mental health benefits, study says
By Paige Minemyer
Most employers offer coverage for mental health services, but where they fall short is in tracking whether those benefits are working, according to a new survey. The report, conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), found that 97% of employers offer mental health coverage and 67% offer coverage for substance abuse treatment. However, only […]
Oct 7, 2025
Why are so many employees struggling to access mental healthcare?
By Tom Starner
New research on insured Americans finds that those reporting mental health conditions were significantly more likely than others to struggle to get effective healthcare, a stark reminder that access to insurance doesn’t guarantee positive health outcomes. A proactive, stigma-reducing strategy, experts say, that considers mental healthcare through a prevention lens can make the difference for […]
Sep 30, 2025
Accessing mental health care is easier said than done
By Susan Rope
It’s one thing to have insurance that covers mental health services; but it’s another thing to access those services. That was among the takeaways from the Employee Benefit Research Institute 2025 Employee Mental Health Survey. The survey results were reviewed as part of EBRI’s Virtual Policy Forum this week. Treatment for mental health disorders in people under […]
Sep 25, 2025
Benefit leaders may be creating obstacles to mental health support
By Paola Peralta
Benefit leaders have invested a significant amount of time and effort into improving mental health coverage, but employees are still struggling to use their insurance to get care they need. Anxiety, depression and ADHD disorders are the most frequently reported mental health conditions, according to a new survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Yet, employees […]
Sep 16, 2025
Employer-covered workers with mental health conditions face access barriers
By Dave Muoio
People who had a mental health condition receiving health coverage through an employer are twice as likely to report difficulty obtaining necessary care, according to a new survey of more than 3,100 U.S. workers.
Sep 16, 2025
Workers with mental health needs face access woes
By Maya Golman
People with mental health conditions are twice as likely to report difficulties getting needed medical care as those without, according to a new survey of U.S. adults with workplace coverage shared first with Axios. Why it matters: The findings provide more evidence that having health insurance doesn’t automatically translate…
March 7, 2025
Here’s how to meet urgent need for more mental health workers. Start with peers.
By Anna Bobb
The depression that stole Leon Statz propelled Brenda to do everything she could to help give other families a fighting chance. The rest of us should do no less.
June 20, 2024
How a New Funder Is Taking on the Thorny Issue of Youth Mental Health
By Connie Matthiessen
Earlier this week, as U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy made a remarkable call to add mental health warning labels to social media apps, he deemed the youth mental health crisis “the defining issue of our time.”
July 28, 2023
The Pandemic Exacerbated Minnesota’s Mental Health Crisis — Especially Among Kids
By Christopher Snowbeck
Increased demand for treatment adds to questions about whether the state’s supply of caregivers can meet the need — particularly for children and teens.
July 21, 2023
Health insurance is keeping your mind sick and wallet empty
By Kate Woodsome
Americans are in pain, mentally as well as physically, and inadequate insurance is making it worse. Simply finding a therapist is absurdly difficult, and the care itself is often unaffordable. Here’s proof.
May 1, 2023
Mental health is a major concern for employers. Here’s where they say their health plans can improve
By Paige Minemyer
Employers said they were unsatisfied with efforts to tailor behavioral health to specific populations as well as to provide telehealth services.
April 28, 2023
Payers Fall Short of Employer Expectations on Behavioral Healthcare
By Kelsey Waddill
Employers seeking a strong commitment to behavioral healthcare access and quality of care from their payer partners expressed disappointment in a National Alliance survey.
April 25, 2023
Good news about bad feelings
By Diana Hembree
It’s judging anger or sadness as ‘wrong’ that causes us mental distress, not the feelings themselves, a new study says.
August 28, 2022
The kids are not okay: When back to school collides with a youth mental health crisis
By Shalene Gupta
We’re in the midst of a youth mental health crisis, but our healthcare system isn’t equipped to handle it. The only thing at stake? Our future.
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PRESS RELEASES
[Washington, D.C. — October 10, 2025] Nearly all large employers (97%) now offer mental health coverage, and a growing majority (67%) include substance use disorder treatment, marking clear signs of progress in addressing employee wellbeing. But a new national survey finds that the next challenge is accountability. Fewer than half of employers are measuring whether these benefits are delivering timely, effective care.
The 2025 Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) Employer Survey suggests that while a good number of employers now cover mental health care, the majority lack visibility into whether their benefits are used, if their networks are accessible, or if plans are delivering value to their employees. Poor mental health in the work force is widely understood to result in lower productivity, higher turnover, and higher health care costs for employers.
[Washington, D.C. – Sept. 15, 2025] — Workers with mental health conditions are twice as likely as those without to report unmet mental health care needs, a stark reminder that even those with insurance struggle to get effective mental health treatment.
The consumer survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and released today by the Path Forward Coalition captured the experiences of people with employer-based insurance, relying on survey data from 3,100 workers across the United States. The workers were between the ages of 20 and 74 and covered with an employer-based health plan from their own employer or a spouse’s or parent’s employer. About 165 million Americans receive insurance through an employer, either their own or a family member’s.
The COMPLETE Care Act could drive further expansion of the Collaborative Care Model
[ Washington, DC – May 20, 2025] — A first-ever national analysis reveals a tenfold increase in the commercial health insurance market in the use of the Collaborative Care Model – a proven team-based approach to mental health care that integrates screening, treatment, and psychiatric consultation directly into primary care. The model is available in all 50 states, but access remains limited: an estimated 100,000 people received services as billed for in commercial insurance in 2023, less than 1% of the nearly 60 million adults and children with mild and moderate mental illness who could benefit.
An independent global data analysis firm analyzed five years of claims data for 219 million people – nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population – in a study commissioned by the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, on behalf of Path Forward, and in partnership with the American Psychiatric Association.
[Washington, DC – September 7, 2024] We are honored to announce that NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, has joined Path Forward in our mission to ensure equitable access to quality mental health and substance use care. Through their network of 650 local affiliates and their national HelpLine, NAMI mobilizes 15 million people, supporting the wide net of those impacted by mental health conditions, including individuals, their families, friends, and communities. NAMI’s leadership in advocating for individuals with mental health conditions and their families has had a profound impact on communities across the nation.
[Washington, DC – July 18, 2024] – The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has joined Path Forward, a coalition that brings together stakeholders from across the health care ecosystem, to advance targeted policies and practices that will expand equitable access to quality mental health care.
[Washington, DC – April 25, 2023] – Only 31% of employers were satisfied with network access for behavioral health services according to a survey of 221 employers that provide health coverage to over 10 million employees and dependents. The Voice of the Purchaser Survey on Behavioral Health Support was conducted by the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions and HR Policy Association and funded by the Path Forward for Mental Health and Substance Use. Keep reading…
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