The claims connection between chronic illness and mental health.

2 in 3 people with mental health issues also suffer from chronic physical conditions.

In a recent review of the Springbuk Health Intelligence platform data* from over 2,500 employers, our team of Health Strategists identified significant overlap between chronic and mental health conditions.

Now, you might say this connection seems obvious, but the implication on employee claims is where we think it gets interesting for HR and benefits leaders. When members have a mental health condition and at least one chronic condition, costs rise by 262%.

Average Costs

• $1,273 PMPM — Members with a mental health condition and chronic condition
• $352 PMPM — Members with a mental health condition

The Correlation Between Mental Health Conditions and High-cost Claimants

Even more telling, members with a mental health condition are also twice as likely to classify as a “high-cost claimant” — a member with at least $50,000 in claims.

These high-cost claimants are a significant focus of conversation for employers looking to reduce costs and improve care effectiveness. As general manager and public health director at Durham County, Gayle Harris, says, “Springbuk helps Durham County Government better understand the impact of benefits offered to our employees. We are able to take the digestible information and examine ways to improve health outcomes while achieving cost savings for our organization.”

With an ever-expanding dialogue around mental health, its long-term impact, and the role of employers, HR and benefits leaders need actionable data such as this to make informed decisions for their organizations. The data shown here is just a sampling of the many insights identified by our team of Health Strategists in our flagship report, Employee Health Trends 2020.

The Insights and Emergent Trends Spotlighted in this Report Span:

• Mental health claim occurrence by industry
• The correlation between mental health and chronic physical conditions
• Newly emerging challenges of opioid abuse
• Key trends by age, industry, and chronic condition

*The report findings are the result of a quantitative analysis performed by the Springbuk Health Strategy team. The analysis was based on aggregate and anonymized data sets from over 2,500 employers of various industries, sizes, and geographies. The purpose of the analysis was to identify trends in employee health.