Support to Heal and Thrive: A Comfort Member’s Story

Gravie member Matt Plank shares his experience coping with depression, and how Comfort™ provides him with the support that he and his family need to heal and thrive.

In October 2020, Matt Plank felt isolated and was struggling with difficult feelings of intense loneliness. Although friends and family would say he’s generally a pretty happy and vivacious guy, under the surface Matt was dealing with depression.

Like many, Matt has long grappled with the cost of therapy. When he was on his wife’s traditional health insurance plan, he could only access six free sessions of therapy per year, regardless of how many sessions were actually needed to treat his depression. Once he reached that cap, he was left to pay for any additional mental health care services out of pocket.

All of that changed when Matt’s employer, Indeed Brewing, began offering Gravie’s Comfort plan — giving him access to ongoing therapy that’s completely covered.

Comfort is shaking up health benefits by providing 100% coverage on most common healthcare services, including preventive care, specialty care, urgent care, labs and imaging, generic prescriptions, and of course, mental health office and clinic visits.

For far too long, mental health care has been viewed as an “extra” when it comes to health benefits. Inadequate provider networks, unreasonable criteria to qualify for coverage, and cost barriers still leave many in need of quality mental health care on traditional plans. Mental health is a critical component of an individual’s overall health and wellbeing, and the health benefits industry in the U.S. still has a lot of catching up to do to reflect that.

Matt is not alone in his struggles, as 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. If an individual needs to figure out how to pay for the help they need, that can add even more stress and anxiety on top of dealing with existing mental health issues. And this, like in Matt’s case, has the potential to drive someone even deeper into depression.

According to a recent survey from KFF, nearly one-third of Americans with severe symptoms of anxiety and depression said they are not receiving treatment, and 23% said they skipped or delayed therapy due to cost.

No one should ever have to ask, “Can I afford therapy?”

By making mental health care a priority, and removing cost and authorization barriers, Gravie empowers members to connect with the care they need without the worry or limitation of a financial burden. By utilizing preventive care like therapy, individuals are less likely to postpone care until a crisis happens and they need to be rushed to the emergency room. This adds up to a better experience for the individual, and significant cost savings for the group — it’s the win-win formula that makes Comfort stand out.

From dealing with an ongoing mental illness like depression or anxiety, to feeling generally stressed or wanting to live a more fulfilled life, Comfort members can rest assured that mental health care is no longer confusing and expensive. Reaching out to an in-network mental health specialist will always be covered with their plan.

“[Comfort] allows my wife and I … to not have to be concerned about the money that we’re spending on my therapy,” said Matt.

Matt was grateful to have Comfort at a time when he really needed the extra support, and thankful his employer chose a health plan that simplifies health benefits and goes above and beyond to deliver care to members. Matt said, “I’ll always be thankful for that – that I was surrounded by people at work who were truly there for me.”

With Comfort, members like Matt have peace of mind knowing their therapy is covered, which means less stress and drain on their overall mental health. And employers can be confident that their employees can actually benefit from their health plan and get the help they need to heal and thrive in both their personal lives and the workplace.

Comfort members can easily find an in-network therapist by chatting with a Gravie Care™ advisor, or by logging into their account at member.gravie.com and clicking on the Doctors link from their health plan.

To learn more about how Gravie is making a difference with Comfort, contact us.