The difficulty of accessing mental health services is not news, but the pandemic has put the spotlight on the challenge.
According to the World Health Organization, the rate of anxiety and depression has increased by 25% worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic. Young people and the elderly are especially vulnerable.
Like many, my own family felt the impact of quarantine isolation on our mental health. I felt better than a mental health system, even though I needed the help of my family and learned to easily navigate other complex systems.
Thankfully, my family received the help we needed. But I kept thinking about how difficult it could be for Pathfinder, and for others who don’t know where to ask for help.
Currently the system is broken. There are two important factors.
First, the coverage of mental health services health insurance is inconsistent. Federal and state law actually requires insurers to provide equivalent coverage for mental health care, but it has been difficult to enforce. The state needs new tools to ensure that patients are not denied coverage of mental health treatments.
Insurance companies also do not provide sufficient refunds to mental health providers, but they require a multi-step process to be eligible for refunds. Many private practices choose not to accept insurance coverage because the administrative burden is much greater than the payments received. This will make these services unavailable to a large number of residents of Massachusetts.
Health insurers are profitable and need to do a better job to ensure they cover these important services. We must treat therapy and other mental health services as rights, not luxury.
Second, more clinicians are leaving the field than are currently employed in Massachusetts. A large investment from the state into the pipeline of mental health service providers is required to stabilize the workforce.
Providers need to have an advanced degree. In short, many providers have large student loan debt. Second, graduates need to accumulate more than 3,000 hours of supervised master’s work, which cannot be claimed by most insurance companies.
The state must invest in a tuition exemption program for mental health clinicians. Also, like any other training medical professional, all supervised postmaster clinicians should be able to claim insurance for the service. This reduces the waiting time for patients to see a clinician, increases salaries during this important early career stage, and supports retention among healthcare providers.
I believe that every family should have the opportunity to prosper and access to mental health services is one of the key parts of that vision.
That’s why I’m running to represent the 16th Middlesex District of the Massachusetts Parliament. Our goal is progress, and governments should remove obstacles that get in the way. We can act immediately to improve access to the mental health of our communities.
Zoe Dzineku is a candidate for state representatives of the 16th Middlesex District, including Lowell and North Chelmsford’s Central and Pawtucketville, and Chelmsford’s Westland.
