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Treatment Access Challenges Disproportionately Affect Those Seeking Mental Health, SUD Care
Facing various barriers to treatment, 43% of US adults who said they needed mental health or substance use disorder (SUD) treatment within the past 12 months did not receive such care, compared to 21% of US adults in need of primary care services, according to a study recently published by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
Findings were based on a survey of 2000 US adults conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the National Council.
>> READ the National Council’s 2022 Access to Care Survey Results report
In a news release announcing the findings, National Council President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia said that 43% of US adults being unable to get mental health and SUD treatment “is a national disgrace.”
“We are in a mental health and substance use crisis,” Ingoglia said in the release. “Failing to eliminate barriers to access will only worsen this new public health emergency. In conducting this survey, we at the National Council do not seek to simply call attention to a national crisis in healthcare. It is our goal to begin a national discussion that will pave the way to lasting solutions.”
Several factors were cited as barriers to mental health and addiction treatment services:
- Cost: 37% of survey respondents said cost-related issues prevented them from getting mental healthcare, and 31% of those seeking SUD care cited cost concerns.
- Availability: 28% of those seeking mental healthcare and 22% of those seeking SUD treatment said they were unable to find a conveniently located provider.
- Lack of treatment options: 25% of those seeking mental healthcare and 31% of those seeking SUD treatment cited an inability to find a provider who offers a visit format, such as in-person or telehealth, with which they were comfortable.
- Wait times: 21% of mental healthcare seekers and 28% of those in need of SUD care said they faced an inability to get an appointment immediately, with wait times ranging from weeks to months in some areas.
Among those who were able to access treatment, 81% of those receiving SUD treatment and 67% of those receiving mental healthcare said they had trouble getting care.
The Harris Poll survey also found that 59% of survey respondents said they believed it was easier and faster to access SUD or mental healthcare by paying out of pocket instead of using insurance, 71% said they would be more likely to get SUD or mental healthcare if they could receive through a primary care provider, and 67% said it is hard to find a mental healthcare provider than a physical healthcare provider.
Finding Solutions
In a recent follow-up blog post published on the National Council website, Ingoglia outlined several avenues for improving access to mental health and SUD care.
- Growing the workforce: Citing a lack of psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, social workers, case managers, and other caregivers, Ingoglia advocated for providing more funding for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program, which could incentivize more prospective workers to enter the field.
- Removing barriers: Ingoglia recommends removing barriers to medication-assisted treatment, standardizing prescriber education practices, and expanding access to care for vulnerable populations. Passage of the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, the Medication Access and Training Expansion Act, and Medicaid Re-entry Act “will help enormously,” he said.
- Permanently lift telehealth restrictions: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift for many treatment services to telehealth-based platforms. The increased use of technology is here to stay, and restrictions that were temporarily lifted should be done away with permanently, Ingoglia said.
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