Cigna, one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies, has expanded its virtual support services for mental and emotional health by adding Talkspace to its behavioral provider network.
Talkspace, an online counseling services company, connects customers to dedicated licensed therapists who engage through the company’s secure app on demand. Therapists can help customers with issues related to anxiety, depression and burnout, as well as substance abuse issues or obsessive compulsive disorders. Cigna’s 14 million members enrolled in employer-sponsored plans can talk and text with the licensed therapists.
The network expansion comes at a time when mental health services are in high demand, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time members may be feeling higher levels of stress and anxiety. Furthermore, Cigna members will have more access to mental health services when visiting physical offices may be challenging or impossible due to the pandemic. The announcement also comes during Mental Health Awareness month.
"Almost no one is immune to the emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether you're on the frontlines, juggling work from home, or in self-isolation," Eva Borden, managing director, behavioral strategy and solutions at Cigna, said in a statement. "This is why we've accelerated efforts to bring more virtual mental health care options so that customers have easier access to the personalized support they need––at a place and time that works for them."
Cigna is also adding new virtual care providers in some states to deliver additional mental health needs for customers, available through Cigna’s outpatient behavioral health coverage. These services include a 12-week app-based program for anxiety, depression and burnout via Meru Health, available in Arizona, California and Colorado. Cigna has partnered with MAP Health Management for substance abuse recovery services for customers in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Cigna has also made available a treatment program led by a licensed, OCD-trained therapist with video appointment and messaging support through NOCD. The OCD program is available to customers in California, Michigan and North Carolina.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."