Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts annual spending on mental health services for members has doubled to $1.3 billion since 2019, according to data published by the payer June 5.
In 2019, the company spent $610 million on mental health services. The increase in spending is attributed to more members seeking mental health and substance use disorder treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release.
BCBSMA said to meet the demand, its mental health provider network has grown by 50 percent over the last five years, which now includes more than 18,000 clinicians.