Differential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health service access among Medicaid-enrolled individuals.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) caused significant disruptions in the delivery of care, with in-person visits decreasing and telehealth use increasing. We investigated the impact of these changes on mental health services for Medicaid-enrolled adults and youth in Washington State. Among enrollees with existing mental health conditions, the first year of the PHE was associated with a surge in specialty outpatient mental health visits (13% higher for adults and 7% higher for youth), returning to pre-PHE levels in the second year. Conversely, youth with new mental health needs experienced a decline in specialty outpatient visit rates by ∼15% and 37% in the first and second years of the PHE, respectively. These findings indicate that while mental health service use was maintained or

SUBMITTER: McConnell KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11363869 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature