President Joe Biden announced a new plan to address mental health disparities during his March 1 State of the Union address, marking an approach that strongly aligns with national payers' approaches to whole person health, according to Forbes.
Biden's plan aims to not only expand mental healthcare, but to do so "holistically and equitably." In addition to new policy, the plan aims to spur change through special scholarships and loans for behavioral healthcare students.
Biden's approach has received praise from payer advocates, including America's Health Insurance Plans, which said it supported any federal efforts to improve behavioral and medical health parity, including Biden's plan.
The roadmap follows the national trend of payers aiming to package behavioral and medical health benefits for members to achieve whole person health.
The change is happening both in the private and public sectors, and payers including UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, Humana, Anthem and Cigna have all taken moves toward creating whole person health offerings that bundle medical and behavioral health benefits, according to Forbes.