July 19, 2023

Nova’s Latest Podcast Talks Treatments through Lens of Medical Benefit Plans

When you think of behavioral health and substance use services, you most likely don’t think of calling your health insurance company. Here’s a secret: You can. And you should! This week’s “Under the Coverage” podcast lets listeners in on an important but little-known fact: there is a team of people working at your health insurance company who can help link you to in-network resources if you’re in need of mental health guidance and support.

On “Assembling the Puzzle: Navigating Mental Health Needs and Health Benefits,” Nova registered nurses Corrine Drmota and Molly Hess share insights on the processes put in place that help members navigate behavioral health and substance use treatment options through the lens of their medical benefit plan.

Forty-six percent of of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, and half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14, according to Mental Health America. Whether you’re in a crisis situation, coming out of a hospitalization or higher level of care, need to fill gaps because of a lapse in a prescription or just struggling and need help figuring out where to start, there’s a team of people in your corner to help – at your health insurance company. Often the first step is having an honest conversation with yourself, but the next step could be calling the numbers on your medical insurance ID card.

“I would encourage anybody … to call one of those numbers and talk to the people on the other line,” Drmota said. “You would be surprised you might pick up it. These people work every single day with somebody who might have the same kind of issues and they get to know the providers in the area and they get to know the kinds of resources and the new resources.”

There are many types of mental health providers available with options that can be delivered in-person and online. The nurse case managers at your health plan can help connect the dots based on an individual’s needs and benefits coverage.

“How I always look at it in terms of case management [it’s like] a puzzle that's just kind of spread out on the floor,” Hess explains. “You have all these different pieces of yourself, your health care. We work as case managers to take all those little pieces and try to put them together so it’s one cohesive picture.

“What we do is very fulfilling, and we really enjoy working with the people that we do and helping them navigate sometimes a very confusing health care world,” she added.

 

For more on the types of mental health support available through many insurance companies, listen to our latest episode, “Assembling the Puzzle: Navigating Mental Health Needs and Health Benefits.”

In 2022, Nova launched “Under the Coverage,” a podcast featuring people who spend their working days focused on health benefits and health care, to share their insider tips and information they wish every health care consumer knew.

How to Listen

New episodes – each 15 minutes or less! – are added regularly and are available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music and TuneIn. You can also listen via digital assistants like Alexa, Google and Cortana. Just ask Alexa to, “play the Under the Coverage podcast on Apple Podcasts” (or wherever you get your podcasts).

Have an idea for a future episode or a question you’d like answered? Find Under the Coverage on Twitter @UndrTheCoverage or email podcast@novahealthcare.com.