Employers are covering mental healthcare now more than ever. So why can’t employees access it?
In the spring of 2025, Path Forward supported a survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) of 400 U.S. employers (500+ employees) to assess how mental health benefits are being offered and measured.
The results highlight a paradox: 97% of employers cover mental health and/or substance use care but only 22% actually monitor the use of those benefits.
Key Findings from the 2025 Employer Mental Health Survey
| Topic | Key Findings |
|---|---|
| Coverage breadth | 97% of employers offer mental health services. Two-thirds (67%) include substance use disorder treatment. |
| Depth of services | 73% offer telehealth and 62% offer counseling or therapy. One-third (33%) provide coverage for ongoing treatment of chronic behavioral health conditions, and 26% offer culturally competent care. |
| Programs beyond insurance | 72% offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), 74% offer mindfulness or meditation apps, 62% offer access to financial therapists, and 54% offer wellness programs. |
| Tracking & accountability | 22% of employers monitor claims or utilization data. 60% measure ease of scheduling appointments, 68% track perceived quality, and 37% track overall satisfaction with mental health services. |
| Network & access metrics | 47% collect data on provider-to-enrollee ratios, 44% assess geographic network standards, and 48% track appointment wait times. |
| Employer attitudes / responsibility | 78% of employers believe they can improve access to care, and 70% believe they can improve quality. Fewer than 10% believe it is their role to ensure fair pricing or quality of care. |
| Challenges to engagement | The most common challenges include lack of awareness (47%), stigma (43%), confidentiality concerns (40%), cultural barriers (33%), and limited budgets (33%). |
| Intentions to improve | 85% of employers say they are interested in enhancing mental health benefits. Many plan to expand urgent psychiatry access and broaden coverage for mental health and substance use treatment. |
Turning Coverage Into Care That Works
The findings from the 2025 EBRI–Path Forward Employer Mental Health Survey make one thing clear: coverage alone doesn’t guarantee care.
Employers have a powerful opportunity to ensure that mental health benefits translate into meaningful outcomes. That starts with investing in models that are proven to work and that Path Forward continues to champion:
- The Collaborative Care Model, which integrates behavioral health into primary care and helps more people get timely, effective treatment.
- Measurement-informed care, which uses data to track progress and outcomes, ensuring patients actually get better.
- Integrated care delivery, which breaks down silos so mental health, physical health, and substance use care work together — not apart.
By pairing these evidence-based approaches with stronger measurement and accountability, we can move from coverage to connection, from access to results.
The call to action is simple: keep building systems that measure what matters, integrate care where people already are, and make mental health an essential part of overall health.
Download the Survey
Key Findings
Explore a visual of the key findings below.