Press Release

The Hartford Launches Hospital Indemnity Plan Design to Include Coverage for Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders

Issued by The Hartford

Jan. 20, 2021

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Hartford has introduced Behavioral Health and Substance Support Benefits, a new plan design option for its group hospital indemnity insurance product. The new plan includes additional benefits – beyond traditional hospitalization coverage – to help provide financial assistance for those who receive treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders.

“The pandemic led to an increase in substance misuse and mental health conditions and we also heard from employers that they are increasingly looking for benefits that support their employees’ well-being,” said Jonathan Bennett, head of Group Benefits at The Hartford. “We believe our enhanced hospital indemnity plan meets a growing need to remove financial barriers for many people who need medical care, including specialized treatment for addiction or mental illness.”

Recent research suggests a greater need for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Nearly half of U.S. workers (48%) reported their anxiety level increased due to COVID-19, and 24% struggle with depression or anxiety on a daily or weekly basis, according to The Hartford’s Future of Benefits Study.

The study also found 51% of employers, who don’t currently offer mental health services, are interested in adding these types of benefits in the future. About one-third (35%) of U.S. workers surveyed by The Hartford expressed interest in company-sponsored benefits that help treat addiction and 58% are interested in mental wellness programs.

Hospital indemnity insurance provides a cash benefit if there’s a hospital stay due to an illness or injury covered by the plan. The Hartford’s new hospital indemnity plan design helps deliver financial assistance for those receiving substance use disorder and mental illness treatment, which can cost up to $25,000 for a 30-day inpatient addiction treatment program and up to $10,000 for outpatient treatment.1

The benefit payments can be used to cover costs related to medical expenses, such as copays or deductibles, as well as everyday costs, such as housing or groceries.

Other features of The Hartford’s new unique Behavioral Health and Substance Support Benefits plan design include:

• Multiple coverage options for the employee only, employee and spouse/partner, employee and child(ren) or family;
• Employer-paid, employee-paid or cost-sharing funding options; and
• Value-added services that provide employees access to professional counseling for financial, legal and emotional issues, as well as access to benefit specialists and nurses for administrative and clinical support to address medical care and claims concerns.

The new hospital indemnity plan design is the latest example of The Hartford’s history of actions to help address the opioid crisis and provide employers with voluntary benefit options to meet the changing needs of their workforce. The Hartford is a founding partner of the Movement to End Addiction Stigma by its nonprofit partner Shatterproof, a national organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the United States. The Hartford also recently announced a new partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to help employers and employees understand how to reduce mental health stigma in the workplace and encourage those with mental health conditions to seek support.

Insuring more than 20 million Americans, The Hartford is a leading provider of employee benefits products and services, including leave management, group life and disability insurance, as well as other voluntary products. For more information, visit www.thehartford.com/groupbenefits.

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