Employers stepping up to provide more mental health care for employees
After the COVID-19 pandemic began, American Health Insurance Providers (AHIP) called for innovative approaches to break down barriers to the care that helps Americans achieve their best physical and mental health. The national association has recommended insurance plans be permitted to cover more telehealth services without requiring patients to pay a deductible, Congress eliminate the ability for price gouging for coronavirus tests delivered out of network and the administration ensure all available tests meet appropriate accuracy standards.
And in June, AHIP released research that says integrating behavioral health into other care settings “is one important way we can work together to increase access for patients.”
“Mental health care is an important part of a person’s overall health and well-being,” an AHIP news release says. “The COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated that mental health is everyone’s issue — children, adolescents, and adults, and the need for services has strained capacity.”
Utah companies are among those stepping up to provide the needed health care for physical and mental well-being, both through their insurance plans and additional services that the businesses offer.
Guidance on bolstering well-being
Studies show construction has the second highest suicide rate among major industry groups — the mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction industry has the highest — and six times as many construction workers die by suicide than from fatal work-related injuries.
Ivory Homes is addressing the mental health issues in the construction industry proactively and provides help in addition to what its insurance plan offers, Analise Wilson, the Salt Lake City-based homebuilder’s general counsel, said.
“I believe the pandemic led to a notable increase in stress and uncertainty,” she said. “The stress for Ivory’s employees, and anyone else working in the housing industry, was then compounded by surging housing demand followed by significant labor shortages and supply chain issues.”
The extra assistance includes the services of Blunovas (https://www.blunovus.com/), a Draper company that describes itself as the world’s first proactive mental health training and support platform. All employees and their loved ones have access to a care center that they can call or text to decompress, receive support or find mental health providers that fit their specific need.
This help is fully covered by Ivory Homes and is available to all its employees and sales consultants.
Last year, Ivory Homes helped the Utah Community Builders and the Salt Lake Chamber create “Total Safety: A Guide to Resilience and Mental Fitness in the Construction Industry” in partnership with the Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition and the Associated General Contractors of Utah.
The guide is designed to equip construction employers with data, tools and best practices to prevent suicides and bolster well-being in the workforce. It provides guidance on how company leadership can model the words and actions that support resilience and mental fitness at work and training for superintendents and foremen on how to respond to employees who might be struggling with mental health challenges.
In addition, the guide lists available crisis intervention resources — SafeUT, Live on Utah and 988, a suicide prevention and mental health crisis lifeline — and encourages supervisors to let workers know what their company offers through health insurance.
Supporting mental and physical well-being promotes a supportive work environment for workers, Wilson said. The company also benefits because having good coverage contributes to better employee recruitment and retention, she said.
“When employees feel valued and cared for, knowing that they can bring their whole selves to work without judgment, it fosters a positive work environment,” Wilson said. “This, in turn, can lead to higher employee engagement and improved performance.”
In a comment included in “Total Safety,” Wilson says the construction industry has already made physical safety a core part of its business culture.
“At Ivory Homes we’re now doing the same thing with psychological safety, and the response so far has been incredibly positive,” she says.
‘It’s more than OK to ask for help’
In May, which was Mental Health Awareness Month, Clyde Companies mailed a newsletter to the homes of its nearly 5,000 employees detailing the medical benefits and community support available to them and their families.
Jeremy Hafen, president and CEO of the Orem company, made a video message noting the construction industry’s high suicide rate and encouraging employees to take care of their mental well-being. Six of the company’s eight subsidiaries — including WW Clyde, Geneva Rock Products and Sunroc Corporation — are construction product-related.
“Mental health affects us all, whether it’s us individually or those we love,” Hafen said. “Some are reluctant to talk about mental health, concerned they may be viewed or valued differently. We cannot let that happen. We have to talk. I’ve seen mental health impact people close to me. Nobody is immune. I do understand there is no health without mental health.”
He also said the company values its people and cares about their well-being.
“It’s OK not to be OK all the time,” Hafen said. “It’s more than OK to ask for help.”
Ally Isom, Clyde Companies corporate spokesperson, cited some grim facts — suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States and was responsible for more than 48,000 deaths in 2021. That same year, 12.3 million adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.5 million made a plan and 1.7 million attempted suicides.
“Those data points are data points we don’t ignore,” Isom said. “We cannot afford to ignore them. At Clyde Companies, we’ve experienced a steady increase in our mental health claims in the last five years.”
Despite the higher number of claims, not everyone who needs help asks for it. The construction workforce is overwhelmingly male and men are statistically less likely to seek care, Isom said.
On top of the regular benefits, the company gives its workers three free visits to mental health professionals through its employee assistance program and three free telehealth behavioral health visits, as well as an incentive to have their annual preventative exam, she said.
Isom said Clyde Companies also offers not only premium benefits but a total rewards package that includes retirement, leave time “and all those things that make for a well-rounded, healthy, productive human.” Work life can’t be segregated from home life, she said.
“We know that mental well-being affects physical well-being,” she said. “Your body and mind are absolutely related. If you’re not doing well mentally, it does start to take a long-term toll. People don’t sleep as well. They don’t eat as well. They don’t take care of themselves nor do they take care of their relationships in healthy ways. We know there are these ripple effects that center in mental health and affect every aspect of a person’s well-being.”
In addition to assisting its own employees, Clyde Companies has been working with industry and community partners to find better solutions, especially concerning access and affordability, Isom said.
May was an important time for the company, she added.
“Part of our culture here is going the extra mile,” Isom said. “Sometimes that can feel like a lot of pressure on people but that month we said, ‘Go the extra mile and be a little more attentive to the people around you and notice how are they doing. Check in on them and look out for one another.’ ”
Boosting the bottom line
More than 180 million Americans across all industries have employer-provided coverage for themselves and their families, according to AHIP. The insurance includes broad coverage for mental health care.
An AHIP/Coverage@Work survey shows 41 million people with insurance provided by their employer received mental health support in 2020 that was covered by their plan. Among those getting care were six million children.
“As mental health challenges persist across our nation, especially among children, employer-provided coverage plays a critical role in ensuring access to mental health care,” Matt Eyles, AHIP president and CEO, said in a written statement. “Nearly half (49%) feel employer-provided coverage is effectively meeting children’s mental health needs — particularly parents (56%) — and most (58%) believe the need for mental health support for children will increase.”
James Swann, AHIP senior manager of communications, said delivering health coverage through employment helps ensure health and financial security for Americans, including those with an income below the federal poverty level, by giving them affordable access to many providers.
The survey says 65% of respondents say their plan gives them financial peace of mind if they are faced with significant costs from an unexpected medical event.
Other survey findings include 63% of consumers are satisfied with their current employer-provided coverage; 82% have plans that cover preventive services; 68% consider it important for plans to cover telehealth services; and 53% said what they currently pay for coverage overall is reasonable.
The benefits of employer-sponsored insurance for both physical and mental health and additional services provided by a company also can accrue to the business itself.
“Health coverage plays an important role in employee recruitment (68%) and an even more important role in retention (77%),” the AHIP survey says.
An Avalere Health analysis commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates the return on investment that employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) provides employers with 100 or more employees was 47% in 2022 and will be 52% in 2026. The analysis attributed the financial return to lower direct medical costs, increased productivity, lower recruitment costs, stronger retention, lower short- and long-term disability costs and tax benefits.
“As Avalere looked across industries, its analysis found that industries where firms generally make greater investments in ESI, such as plans with wellness programs, tend to result in high ROI,” the analysis says.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
