RAND Corporation: Utilization and Spending on Mental Health Services Among Children and Youths With Commercial Insurance

RAND Corporation: Utilization and Spending on Mental Health Services Among Children and Youths With Commercial Insurance

Spending on mental health services for children and adolescents has risen by more than one-quarter since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing to rise even as the use of telehealth plateaued. The study found that use of telehealth for pediatric patients increased more than 30-fold during the early months of the pandemic and remained at 23 times normal by August 2022, even as in-person care reached 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The findings suggest that telehealth care for mental health filled a critical need for pediatric patients after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to support a substantial proportion of pediatric mental health care. For additional news coverage, see The Washington Post.