Awareness around the importance of mental health has never been more top of mind for employers and the broader public. But investing in mental health of employees demands a strategic approach to manage ongoing costs. In this post, we outline what differentiates Inkblot from other EAP programs.
Many employers are seeing increased costs associated with mental health care.
On one hand, employees’ mental wellbeing needs to be a priority to maintain productivity and overall health of their teams and families.
On the other hand, traditional insured models that provide a set dollar amount such as $500 per family member per year for mental health practitioners is not stretching as far as it used to. Reasonable and customary limits for psychology can exceed $250 / hour, which can limit the assistance available when someone really needs it.
Traditional EAPs
Employee and Family Assistance programs are not all created equal, and for each of the shortcomings listed below, there are exceptions.
Employees may find that the types of issues available to discuss with a mental health practitioner are restricted to “short-term issues.”
Second, there tends to be a limited focus on finding a right fit for a counsellor that specializes in each segment of the public (teen mental health, for example), or has expertise or language proficiency within a particular cultural background.
Finally, if an employee or dependent finds a counsellor that fits, it’s not easy to continue using that practitioner in a paid model.
Inkblot
Inkblot has introduced a new model for delivering mental health support to employees and their families.
Practitioner pairing: plan members or dependents are asked a series of questions to generate a list of practitioners based on expertise, cultural background, and more.
Broad spectrum of issues: The service offers 5 hours of in-person counselling per year regardless of the type of issue presented.
Employee or dependent can continue care: Once the 5 hours are exhausted, the employee or dependent can continue with the same counsellor using a paid model to be reimbursed through their group plan’s paramedical limits or health spending account.
The cost of Inkblot is extremely competitive relative to the EAP programs embedded with major carriers. Vital Partners’ preferred arrangement with Inkblot makes it even more so.
Contact us today to learn more about whether Inkblot is a fit for your organization.
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