Texans say that while their financial health is strong coming out of the pandemic, confidence in their ability to get access to health care and mental health is low. Their concerns about rising health care costs remain high.
The State of Health Care in Texas
We recently surveyed consumers in Texas to understand their perspectives when it comes to accessing care, finding resources and prioritizing whole person health. The results revealed the challenges related to affordability and access, and highlighted the need for greater virtual care and mental health support.
Virtual care bridges gaps to accessing care
Telemedicine is one way to bridge the geographic gap to accessing care, and most Texans used some form of virtual care in the past year. Overall, they had a positive experience and most plan to use virtual care again. Telemedicine is a viable solution for behavioral health conditions since 74% of Texans said they view their mental health like any other illness.
When patients have the ability to connect with health care providers where and when they want, their chances of having positive outcomes increases.
Increasing costs impact access and wallets
Like most Americans, Texans are concerned about the costs of health care – medications, premiums, and out-of-pocket expenses. While they felt their financial health was strong, there is growing concern about the impact of rising costs on their pocketbook.
Plan sponsors – employers, health plans and government agencies – need to keep medications affordable and accessible for patients. Leveraging relationships with trusted advisors is key to getting patients to start, and stay on, their therapies as prescribed.
Mental health acceptance doesn’t equal understanding
More individuals are talking about mental health than ever before, and for those in Texas, they agree they are comfortable talking to their doctor. But some aren’t sure where to get care, or that it’s even different from seeing a medical doctor.
While the data validates progress in reducing the mental health stigma and leveling the playing field to talk to their doctors about mental health resources, there’s still work to be done. If patients are connecting physical and mental health concerns together, it may be more difficult to find the right kind of help they need for their specific situation.
Help is out there… but where?
Not every Texan has the same access to the health care they need. Factors such as levels of education and proximity to the city center all played a role in Texans telling us help is out there but it takes time to go get it.
To access all of these insights and more, download the State of Health Care in Texas report.