Payers are adding new virtual mental healthcare options for members, including on-demand classes and one-on-one mental health coaching sessions.
New digital behavioral health programs from January include:
- Blue Shield of California added a partnership with Wellvolution, a digital physical and behavioral health program. Wellvolution offers an on-demand app to manage anxiety, depression and sleep problems. The platform also includes a diabetes prevention program and tobacco cessation therapy.
- CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield is partnering with WellSet to offer self-care benefits to members. WellSet provides live and on-demand classes, including in acupressure, self-hypnosis, yoga and mindfulness. CareFirst, which serves members in the mid-Atlantic region, is one of the investors in WellSet, a startup founded in 2018.
- UnitedHealthcare is offering new virtual mental health coaching to 5 million members, administered through Optum. The program is designed to help members manage symptoms of mild depression, stress and anxiety through 30-minute weekly digital, video or telephone communications with a trained mental health coach.