Maternal Mental Health Resources for Payors
Resources for Employers and Purchasers
Best Practices in Maternal Health and Mental Health Benefit Design
The following are steps payors can take to support maternal mental health.
Equitable Benefit Structure
- Reducing high deductible plans or carving out maternity and mental health care from deductible applicability
- Transportation benefit (ride share)
- Required training about racism for network providers
- Monitoring language in directories for behavioral health providers
Maternal Mental Health
- Monitoring Perinatal Mental Health-Certified Mental Health Network Adequacy
- Including Certified Peer Support Specialists in provider networks (practicing under a licensed behavioral health provider)
Maternity Support
- Including Certified Doulas (practicing under a licensed ob provider/midwife) in the Provider Network
- Covering Birth Control
- Providing Infertility Coverage
Mental Health Care
- Embedding Mental Health care in Medical Care (requiring medical insurers to bake mental health into PCP / OB contracts)
- Describing how out-of-network mental health care providers are covered as in-network providers when there are shortages of qualified providers
Researchers found that the estimated employment-related costs for mothers providing unpaid care average $295,000 over a lifetime
Employers and Purchasers
Maternal Mental Health Disorders – What all Employers Should Know
Hosted in partnership with the Colorado Business Group on Health.
Learn more about MMH disorders and also what employers and business groups on health can do to improve outcomes.
Resources for Insurers
Insurers
Insurer Whole Mom™ Standards
The Insurer/Plan Whole Mom Accreditation program was created as a means for health Insurers/Plans to identify meaningful interventions and be recognized for efforts with a public accreditation designation.
Recommended Citation: Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health. (2024, January). Whole Mom Survey. https://policycentermmh.org/insurer-whole-mom-standards/
Whole Mom Insurer Accreditation Scale
Recognition as a “Whole Mom” Insurer/Plan is based on the following scale:
- Excellent Accreditation: Meets all 14 basic standards and at least one advanced standard
- Accredited: Meets 85% of the basic standards
- Preliminary Accreditation: Meets 50% of the 14 basic standards
How to be Recognized as a Whole Mom Insurer
Submit this completed form and a letter requesting consideration as a “Whole Mom” Insurer/plan attesting to the accuracy of this form’s content to: [email protected] by June 30 or November 30 of each year.
Whole Mom Insurers may announce their designation through a press release and will receive an accreditation seal to display on their websites.