As a mental health nurse practitioner who sees patients both in person and via telehealth, I’m often struck by just how many of my patients would not have received any mental health treatment before the COVID-19 pandemic: the stay-at-home mother without any childcare; the college student on a rural campus, many miles away from home or a clinic; the middle-aged man who is finally ready for help – but not ready to be seen by a neighbor in the waiting room.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, access to remote mental healthcare sprouted up almost overnight. In 2020, Medicare, a federal health insurance program for seniors and people with disabilities, began covering online mental health, and most state Medicaid programs and private insurers soon followed.
