Your Team’s Mental Health Matters, Here’s How We’ve Got Them Covered

At Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS), we understand the importance of medical and behavioral health working together and our care management teams ensure your employees receive comprehensive support that fits their unique needs. When people feel supported from every angle, they’re more likely to follow treatment plans and take steps toward better health.

Some of the resources and tools we offer include¹:

• ThriveWell℠, a self-paced digital platform that promotes personal wellbeing through goals like improving sleep, physical activity, finances, and relationships.
• Pharmacy Concierge identifies lower-cost behavioral health drug alternatives by evaluating a person’s full medical, behavioral, and financial profile.
• The Wellframe® App connects members with Care Managers via text and guided modules to support their wellbeing journey 24/7.
• MDLIVE® telehealth provides virtual access to licensed therapists and psychiatrists for conditions like anxiety, depression, grief, and substance use, available anytime.
• Our 24/7 Nurse Line offers trusted guidance when employees don’t know where to turn.

Among members engaged in behavioral health care management we saw:

• 33 percent reduction in Emergency Department visits²
• 12 percent reduction in inpatient admissions²
• $1,000 in per-member-per-month cost savings²

Behind every number is a person who found the care and stability they needed to stay on track with their health and their life. These results reflect a simple truth: when we support the whole person, we support healthier people and healthier businesses.

Understanding the Mental Health Medication Gap

While many companies are working hard to support mental wellbeing, there is still a serious medication gap for those in need. Understanding this medication gap is essential in helping to make a difference in closing it. It’s not just about access to care. It’s about building a work culture that encourages treatment, reduces stigma, and supports the whole person.

We help employees access and stay on their mental health medications which requires more than coverage alone. That’s why our pharmacy solutions are designed to meet people where they are, focusing on affordability and compassionate support at every step.

Whether it’s through cost-saving programs or digital tools that encourage medication adherence, our pharmacy benefits are built to remove barriers and close gaps in care.

Supporting Your Team from Every Angle

Even as awareness grows, millions of Americans still face major barriers to receiving mental health treatment including prescription medications., according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The “medication gap” refers to the difference between people diagnosed with a mental health condition and those who actually receive or continue the medication they need. Employees may delay treatment, skip refills, or stop medications altogether leading to a worsening of symptoms and greater long-term costs.

For many, navigating a mental health condition is already hard enough. Add financial stress, stigma, confusing treatment plans, or limited access to providers or pharmacies and it can feel impossible.

According to GoodRx, a trusted partner offering Price Assure^TM1 benefits to our members, recent findings indicate that overall:

• 67 percent of Americans describe prescription costs as a financial burden
• 1 in 5 people reported rationing medications due to cost
• Almost 30 percent said they had to cut back on food or clothing to pay for their prescriptions

A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation further supports GoodRx’s findings, reporting that 29 percent of Americans said they didn’t take medications as prescribed due to cost, whether by skipping doses, cutting pills in half, or abandoning treatment altogether.

The Cost of Inaction to Businesses and People

Mental health challenges affect more than just individual wellbeing; they impact the workplace, too.

Left unaddressed, these issues can raise healthcare costs, slow productivity, and increase turnover. However, with the right support, employers can help close this gap and see better outcomes for both people and the bottom line.

How Employers Can Help Close the Gap

Here’s how you can make an impact with the right partner by your side:

• Choose pharmacy plans that prioritize mental health. Make sure coverage includes a broad range of behavioral health medications and services. At Excellus BCBS, we support the accessibility of these medications with all formulary options. 
• Communicate benefits clearly. Many employees don’t know what their plan covers. Encourage use of the member portal to check formularies, manage refills, and understand their options.
• Promote adherence and wraparound services. Our programs like RationalMed, MedSync Sempre Health, Home Delivery and services such as Comprehensive Case Management and Provider Engagement (ACQAs) improve treatment consistency and create healthy habits.
• Foster a culture of mental wellness. When employees feel safe, supported and seen, they’re more likely to seek help. Encourage open conversations, include mental health in wellness initiatives, and lead with empathy.

Your Partner in Behavioral Health

We’ve also expanded our provider network to include a broader range of professionals, from traditional therapists to creative arts therapists and licensed master social workers. We also support local efforts to destigmatize mental health and make care more accessible.

Improving emotional health starts with access, but it thrives with partnership.

What it All Comes Down To

Mental health is health. Supporting employees with the medications and services they need is not only the right thing to do, but a smart investment in your people and your business.

At Excellus BCBS, we’re committed to standing with you, not just as a health plan, but as a partner who cares. Together, we can help close the mental health medication gap and ensure every employee gets the care they need to thrive.

Because here at Excellus BCBS, everybody benefits.

To learn more about how you can support your team’s mental health, you can check out our behavioral health resources.

1 Program availability can vary by funding arrangement. To learn more, get in touch with your account representative. 

2 2022 Health Plan data

RationalMed, MedSync, and Price Assure are programs of Express Scripts, an independent company, providing pharmacy products to Excellus BCBS members.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has contracted with Sempre Health, an independent company, to provide select discounted prescription copays to Excellus BCBS members.

MDLIVE is an independent company, offering telehealth services in the Excellus BlueCross BlueShield service area.

Personify Health is an independent company and offers a digital wellbeing service on behalf of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.

Wellframe is an independent company that provides a health and wellness support mobile app to Excellus BCBS members.

BlueCross BlueShield is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.