Ketamine Therapy Offered as Employee Health Benefit Nationwide

A company that provides workplace insurance for psychedelic therapy nationwide recently partnered with two new companies to expand its network and offer ketamine-assisted therapy nationwide as a health benefit. did.

Enthea Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Shelley Reis said: “National availability helps Enthea achieve its mission of supporting employers with workplace mental health issues. “This is a pivotal moment.”

entea is a company focused on providing psychedelic-assisted therapies for employee health plans, and Ketamine is a known psychedelic with some form of psychedelic effect approved by the FDA for use in mental health treatment. and/or the first and only drug to have hallucinogenic effects. Enthea recently announced partnerships with two of his companies: Skylight Psychedelics and Innerwell. Both companies are helping to advance remote and in-person psychedelic assistance experiences.

“Skylight Psychedelics is excited to partner with Enthea,” said co-founder Scott Bienenfeld, MD. “Through our collaboration, we will expand access to cutting-edge, often life-saving treatments, such as ketamine-assisted therapy and other new psychedelic treatments, that can help people overcome a range of mental health conditions. We will continue to support you.”

The partnership could potentially give certain eligible employees access to ketamine therapy without paying the exorbitant fees that often come with the blossoming field of psychedelic-assisted therapy, and states such as Oregon could offer access to ketamine therapy for a single psilocybin experience. Session price is over $2,000. Estimates of the average price for a ketamine session vary by location, but the most common cost estimate for uninsured patients is $400 to $800 per session.

Very few people currently have access to these benefits: an estimate provided by Enthea is 1,500 people nationwide. Deputy But they hope to increase that number to 200,000 by the end of next year.

“Investing in the mental health of our employees is critical. Innerwell is excited to partner with Enthea to help forward-thinking employers deliver ketamine and other drug treatments that deliver lasting, transformative outcomes. We are proud of this,” said Innerwell CEO Lisa Kennedy. “Our team of specially trained clinicians provides compassionate care, and our data-driven approach continues to advance these innovative treatments by proving their effectiveness.” It will help accelerate the introduction of new treatments.”

In 2019, the FDA first approved ketamine-assisted therapy with the brand name Spravato nasal spray in combination with an oral antidepressant. Since then, many clinics and doctors have begun offering this somewhat controversial treatment.Several Estimate The number of clinics is estimated to be between 500 and 750 nationwide, but it is difficult to know for certain because there is no nationwide registry. In 2022, market The cost of the ketamine clinic was estimated to be approximately $3.1 billion.

Enthea has been offering insurance coverage for ketamine therapy since last year, and touts data from a year in which it provided ketamine-assisted therapy to employees at Dr. Bronner’s soap company, showing that employees who used the service suffered from symptoms related to mental illness. He said he experienced a dramatic reduction in his symptoms. Health disorders. According to data from Enthea’s press release, symptoms of depression were reduced by 67% and PTSD by 86%.

“The health and well-being of our employees is a key driver in how we think about benefits and compensation. Providing coverage for ketamine-assisted therapy provides our employees with the best quality of life and access to mental health care. Our goal is to give you the tools to make the best choices.” michael broner, president of Dr. Bronner’s, said in a prepared statement about the program’s launch in 2022. We are deeply concerned about the mental health crisis facing our society, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering all of our arguments on this issue, this employee benefit is the next logical step. ”

With the positive data from Dr. Bronner’s case study and new partnerships with Innerwell and Starlight, Enthea’s provider network has expanded significantly and we can now offer these services to employers across the country. Now it looks like this. Enthea benefits packages can be added to existing health, dental and vision plans, according to a press release.

“Providers in Enthea’s network are critical to our mission to ensure access to high-quality, affordable ketamine-assisted therapy,” said Andrew Ninnimann, Enthea’s director of network and strategic initiatives. “We remain committed to working with companies at the forefront of innovation related to developments that are transforming the mental health industry.”

Employers who want to offer Enthea’s services can simply contact us at this handy-dandy little email address. hyperlink To find out more.