Military families have been having trouble getting mental health care — even before COVID-19
A new survey says military families should explore telehealth in the era of COVID-19. (Pexels)
Military families have trouble getting professional mental health help when they want it.
That’s according to the newly released results of a survey from the Military Family Advisory Network that was fielded in late 2019 — before the global coronavirus pandemic arguably made matters worse.
The No. 1 barrier families encountered was a lack of available appointments for mental health services, according to the survey. Active-duty service members and their spouses, who made up 42% of the survey’s 7,785 respondents, also struggled with time to attend appointments and the idea that seeking mental health treatment could negatively impact their careers. Transportation and cost were impeding factors for veteran and retiree families.
In its findings, the Military Family Advisory Network recommends families explore telehealth, an option many insurance companies, including Tricare, have made more accessible in the era of COVID-19.
In response to the virus, Tricare recently revised its telehealth policies, including waiving out-of-pocket expenses, such as co-pays and deductibles. Additionally, providers may now get reimbursed after virtual meetings with patients living in another state, which was not previously permitted under the military insurance plan.
“With the new normal of physical distancing, forced isolation, and unemployment rates skyrocketing, the mental health of our military and veteran families is at an increased risk,” the Military Family Advisory Network states in its report. “Telehealth offers a viable, and necessary, option for mental health treatment during this global pandemic.”
Military spouses are no strangers to social isolation. A recent Blue Star Families survey highlighting the greatest concerns for military families showed isolation from family and friends ranked higher than deployments.
Military spouses who have come on The Spouse Angle podcast before to discuss the issue have been blunt about their struggles; in our second episode, one spouse admitted she once contemplated suicide while her husband was away, before she got professional help.
Shannon Razsadin, the Military Family Advisory Network’s executive director, said the growing focus on telehealth may be an example of a silver lining to come out of this time because it may help military families in the long run.
“It’s given us an opportunity to get more flexible in how we provide different types of support,” she told Military Times Friday. “This is an opportunity to also look at what works and what could work longer term as we support military families.”
Although most people who responded to the survey said they had never used telehealth, more than one-third said they would be likely, or very likely, to use it.