States can expand the workforce, support existing providers, and harness technology to close gaps, according to a new Inseparable report
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nearly half of Americans with a mental health condition receive no treatment and more than 80 percent of people with a substance use disorder go without care – in part because 144 million Americans (42% of the population) live in areas without enough mental health professionals, often as a result of misaligned policies, burdensome requirements, and harmful insurance practices that keep providers from entering or staying in the field, according to a new report released today by Inseparable.
The Workforce Report: Bridging the Mental Health Care Gap finds that no state comes close to meeting its mental health workforce needs. In the four states with the most catastrophic shortages, patients simultaneously face inadequate access to psychiatric hospitals, community mental health providers, and crisis care.
“Across the country, people are reaching out for help and facing endless waitlists, exorbitant out-of-pocket costs, or no providers at all. This has life and death consequences — and it’s the result of policies and insurance practices that undervalue mental health care,” said Angela Kimball, Chief Advocacy Officer at Inseparable. “We need to make it easier for providers to join and stay in the workforce, so that families can access the care they need in their communities at a price they can afford.”
Additional findings from the report:
- The highest-performing state (Rhode Island) meets just over 58 percent of its mental health workforce need. Only four states exceed 50 percent (Rhode Island, Utah, New Jersey, New Hampshire). Nearly half of states meet 25 percent or less of their need, meaning at least three-quarters of required workforce capacity is missing.
- At least 14 states report catastrophic shortages in state psychiatric hospitals. At least 17 states report catastrophic shortages in community mental health providers. At least 13 states report catastrophic shortages in behavioral health crisis systems. Four states (Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska) report catastrophic shortages across all three systems — hospitals, community providers, and crisis care.
- Mental health providers are typically paid less than medical providers for comparable services, driving many providers out of insurance networks and limiting access to care. In 18 states, therapists earn 70 cents or less for every $1 earned by a physician assistant, including Oregon (52 cents), Alaska (54 cents) and Minnesota (54 cents). In seven states, psychiatrists earn 70 cents or less for every $1 earned by a medical or surgical clinician, including Wisconsin (54 cents), Tennessee (59 cents), and South Carolina (60 cents).
- In Massachusetts, patients go out-of-network for mental health care 14.1 times more often than for medical care — the worst disparity in the country. Maine (10.7x) and Rhode Island (10.3x) are close behind.
The report identifies three high-impact categories of policy, with clear strategies, concrete policy solutions, and specific examples from states, including workforce pipelines, telehealth flexibilities, licensure reform, provider reimbursement, data infrastructure, and provider wellbeing. Additionally, the report provides state-specific snapshots on the adoption of policies to strengthen the mental health workforce. Key findings, state snapshots, and the full report are available here.
Inseparable has spent the past five years advocating to protect and expand access to mental health care at the state and federal levels–including notable policy advancement in Colorado, Delaware, Washington, Utah, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and more.
About Inseparable: Inseparable is a national mental health advocacy organization founded on the principle that mental health is inseparable from physical health. Inseparable drives transformative change at the federal and state levels by engaging bipartisan policymakers, mobilizing support, and advancing mental health and substance use disorder policies that help people thrive. Inseparable works to expand access to care, promote youth mental health, improve crisis response, and strengthen the mental health workforce.