Also reacts to new mental-health survey data     

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield says it has raised the minimum wage for all its employees to $18 per hour, up from $15 an hour. 

At the same time, the Rochester–based Excellus, Central New York’s largest health insurer, is also reacting to new data about the pandemic’s impact on mental health and the role telemedicine is playing to help those affected.

Wage increase

Increasing the minimum wage to $18 an hour will result in salary increases for 639 Excellus employees across upstate New York, or about 15 percent of the health plan’s total workforce. 

“We hope an increase in the minimum wage will have a meaningful impact on employees and their families and help us remain competitive when attracting and retaining top talent,” Jim Reed, president and CEO of Excellus, said in a release.

Employees receiving raises include about 389 making below $18 per hour and 250 earning just above that amount. Many of these employees work in customer service, member enrollment, claims processing, clinical support, provider-network credentialing, or in the print and mail room. 

Excellus employs about 4,000 employees across 39 counties of upstate New York, including 960 in Central New York.

Pandemic impact on mental health

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that 41 percent of adults report struggling with mental health or substance use, which is up from 20 percent in the time before the pandemic. 

In addition, nearly one in three adults now report having symptoms of anxiety or depression. 

“Behind the masks, people are hurting,” Dr. Geoffrey Hopkins, senior medical director for behavioral health at Excellus, said. “As we approach another year of living with COVID-19, even more attention needs to be paid to mental health challenges as our country wrestles with finding its new normal.”  

The National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the CDC, is monitoring the situation. In April 2020, it partnered with the Census Bureau to conduct an ongoing household pulse survey designed to complement the ability of the federal statistical system to quickly respond to, and provide relevant information about, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. 

The survey is collecting information on symptoms of anxiety and depression experienced by participants. Results have been consistent since the pandemic began, with 30.8 percent of respondents reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression in phase one of the survey conducted from April 23 to May 5, 2020, and 27.3 percent reporting symptoms in a later survey phase from Sept. 29 to Oct. 11, 2021.

For comparison, a similar pre-COVID National Health Interview Survey conducted in 2019 found just 10.8 percent of adults aged 18 and over reported symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder.

“If there’s any good news since the start of COVID, it’s that Americans have embraced telemedicine, with its increased access to behavioral-health services,” Hopkins said. “Patients can see a specific behavioral-health provider on an ongoing basis from the privacy of their home, where they feel comfortable and can call at their convenience.” 

He also points out that, in areas that have a shortage of behavioral-health professionals, especially those who treat children and adolescents, telemedicine offers patients access to behavioral-health services that otherwise may not have been readily available to them. 

Specialists providing care via telemedicine for behavioral-health treatment include psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, counselors, and nurse practitioners. Services include treatment of mental health conditions such as generalized anxiety disorders, major depressive disorders, dysthymic disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, and adjustment disorders. Substance use disorders treated by telemedicine providers include opioid use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and tobacco use disorder. 

“If you’re dealing with mental health issues or substance use, speak with your primary care doctor, or ask your health insurer to help you find a behavioral-health provider,” Hopkins said. “You can get through this, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to suffer in silence behind your mask.”