Key Takeaways
Obamacare slightly improves access to treatment for pregnancy-related mood disorders
In recent years, about 10% of pregnant women and new mothers with anxiety or depression receive treatment.
But an estimated 25% suffer from mood disorders, meaning many people still aren't getting the treatment they need.
MONDAY, Aug. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Pregnant women and new moms are getting better treatment for mood disorders thanks to Obamacare, a new study finds.
Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2014, more women have been receiving treatment for pregnancy-related depression and anxiety disorders, researchers reported August 9 in JAMA Network Open.
But researchers say more can be done to improve treatment for conditions such as postnatal depression.
About 10% of privately insured women were treated for pregnancy-related anxiety or depression in 2019-2020, up slightly from pre-ACA levels, the researchers found.
Unfortunately, roughly 25% of pregnant women and new mothers suffered from a mood disorder in 2019, the researchers noted.
This means many women lack the mental health care that could help them and their unborn babies, said lead researcher Kara Zivin, a professor of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan.
“The gap between mental and physical health care has narrowed slightly over time, and the cost barrier has also decreased slightly,” Zivin said in a university news release.
The slow increase in treatment since the ACA is due to a confluence of factors, including a shortage of mental health care providers, underdiagnosis of pregnancy-related mood disorders and stigma around receiving treatment, Zivin said.
“In this high-risk population, many are being overlooked, given what we know about the impact of mental illness on maternal mortality,” Zivin noted.
“Even 50% of women diagnosed with depression or anxiety who received psychotherapy during the study period only attended one treatment session, on average,” Zivin added.
In the study, researchers analyzed the impact of two national laws, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2010 (MHPAEA) and the Affordable Care Act of 2014, on women's access to mental health care.
Both laws contain provisions requiring insurers to cover mental health care at the same level as physical health care and to treat it as an essential benefit, according to the researchers.
The researchers looked at data from more than 716,000 women aged 15 to 44 who gave birth in the US between 2007 and 2019, totalling more than 837,000 births. All had private health insurance for at least a year before and after giving birth.
Findings show that women's likelihood of receiving treatment began to rise after the implementation of MHPAEA and increased further after the passage of the ACA.
But the researchers noted that the new study did not include women on Medicaid, who account for 42% of births in the US, or women who did not use their insurance to pay for care.
Zivin noted that the data covers the pre-pandemic period, and greater adoption of telehealth could further improve women's access to care.
For example, women in areas with severe shortages of mental health providers may find it easier to access therapy through telehealth, Zivin said.
Source: University of Michigan, news release, August 9, 2024
What this means for you
Women who experience pregnancy-related mood disorders should seek treatment for their psychiatric condition.
