A new study suggests affordability is the number one barrier preventing Canadians from accessing the mental health care they need.
Business employment platform Humi released a survey revealing Canadian employees want to receive mental health support, yet don’t believe they can afford it.
The survey was recently conducted from Apr. 15 to May 1 of this year and polled 645 Canadian employees through online questions.
The poll found that a significant number of respondents believe current mental health services aren’t affordable.
Current private therapy rates in Canada can range anywhere between $50 to $240 per hour, according to Informed Choices About Depression.
The survey found the highest amount the respondents spent was around $2,500, while 40 per cent of Canadian employees feel they cannot afford to access mental health services as frequently as they need them.
More than 62 per cent of Canadian employees rarely or never access mental health services. However, if cost weren’t a factor, 78.6 per cent would ideally like to access mental health services at least twice a year while 25 per cent aspire to access mental health care on a monthly basis.
Only about a quarter of Canadian employees feel they can afford to access mental health services as frequently as they need them with coverage from employee benefits. If their company coverage was taken away, only 5.6 per cent of Canadians believe they could afford services.
However, even Canadians who have a benefits plan can only access mental health services as much as their benefits plan allows for,, not whenever they want or need.
“The problem is mental health benefits need to be approached differently than vision and dental as many people need to access them more frequently than an annual checkup. We urge employers to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and expand initiatives to support employee well-being,” Humi VP People Courtney Lee said in a release.
The poll has an estimated three per cent margin of error.
