Brightside Health Expands Medicaid & Medicare Access for Greater Telemental Health Coverage

New and expanded partnerships include Centene, CareOregon, and other payers who will offer Brightside Health’s life-saving mental health care

San Francisco, CA – Feb. 21, 2024 – Brightside Health today announced new and expanded payer partnerships to support Medicaid and Medicare. The news comes just months after the company – which serves individuals with mild-to-severe clinical depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders – shared that it would begin serving 50 million Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries. These underserved populations will have access to all of Brightside Health’s life-saving mental health care services; this includes psychiatry, therapy, and its award-winning Crisis Care program for individuals with elevated suicide risk, which has demonstrated impressive results in its first year already.

Today’s news includes the following: 

• CareOregon – New contract to serve Medicaid 
• Blue Shield of California – New contract to serve Medicare Advantage 
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas – Expanded contract to include Medicare Advantage
• Traditional Medicare – Expanded to include Texas, California, Delaware, Arizona, New York, Washington, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and Illinois
• Centene – Expanding state-by-state, including Nebraska Total Care Medicaid and Wellcare Medicare Advantage 

“We are continuously seeking ways to improve the lives of our members, and Brightside Health’s telemental health platform enhances psychiatric service accessibility, particularly for individuals who need access to high-quality medication services and urgent care for individuals with suicidal thoughts,” said Adam Proctor, Plan President and CEO at Nebraska Total Care, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation. “We look forward to the positive impact of this partnership and the additional access to psychiatric services that it brings to our members.”

A recent study in Psychiatry Research indicated that the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were statistically significantly higher among Medicaid recipients than privately insured individuals. And among the 65 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported that 25% experience mental illness. There is a pressing need to provide quality mental health care to these underserved populations.

“No mental health platform is complete without addressing the needs of Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, and these partnerships will provide access to life-saving mental health care for millions more people,” said Brad Kittredge, co-founder and CEO of Brightside Health. “We are scaling quickly to ensure access to high-quality, measurably better mental health treatment. The momentum and interest continue to build, and we’re thrilled to partner with these esteemed organizations across the country and share their commitment to expand exceptional mental health care options.”

For more information on Brightside Health, visit www.brightside.com. For questions and complete details on all partnerships, please contact [email protected].

About Brightside Health

Brightside Health delivers life-saving mental health care to people with mild to severe clinical depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders, including those with elevated suicide risk. Powered by proprietary AI, purpose-built technology, and a world-class clinician network, Brightside Health combines precision psychiatry and leading-edge therapeutic techniques to improve patient outcomes across the entire clinical spectrum, affordably and at scale. Brightside Health can be paid for with insurance in all 50 states and D.C., with appointments available in 48 hours or less. Learn more at www.brightside.com.