WASHINGTON, DC, Oct. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Path Forward has just released key findings from the second of two major national surveys of employees and large employers by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), revealing a consistent theme: while mental health coverage is now widespread in employer-based insurance, that coverage too often lacks the transparency, accountability, and quality controls needed to ensure it’s working for the estimated 165 million Americans and their family members who rely on it.

Together, the two surveys capture a rare 360° view of the behavioral health landscape in U.S. workplaces.

The 2025 EBRI Employee Mental Health Survey, released on Sept. 15, 2025, relied on interviews with 3,100 workers across the United States. The survey found employees with mental health conditions are twice as likely as those without to report unmet health care needs, a stark reminder that even those with insurance struggle to get effective treatment.

The 2025 EBRI Employer Survey, released on Oct. 10, 2025, polled about 400 large employers to better understand the breadth and depth of the mental health benefits being offered.

The survey found that while 97% of large employers offer mental health benefits, fewer than half collect or review critical data on utilization, network adequacy, or health plan quality performance.

These findings underscore the need for a change among large employers, who must transition from checking the box on coverage to taking a more active role to ensure the care offered is timely, effective, and used by those who need it most.


That is why Path Forward and our coalition partners call on large employers to take immediate steps to:

• Expand employer accountability systems to better track and encourage employee use of mental health care and promote earlier intervention in mental health issues.
• Require better data from health plans and third-party administrators, especially around appointment wait times, provider availability, and mental health best practices.
• Close the gap between mental health and substance use treatment coverage.

Statements of Support from Path Forward Coalition Partners: 

“While it's encouraging to see so many employers offering insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorders, we have to ensure that people who need it can access quality care. Our country is in an all-hands-on-deck situation as we deal with mental health and addiction crises, and we need employers to play a central role in ensuring the health care programs they invest in are truly taking care of their employees. ”
 — Marketa M. Wills, MD, MBA, CEO & Medical Director, American Psychiatric Association

“Employers don’t need to wait for federal mandates to improve behavioral health care. They can start today by requesting better data and holding plans accountable to the needs of their employees.”
— Andy Keller, PhD, President and CEO, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

“These surveys show what so many of us already know, that workers are taking initiative to get care, but the system isn’t always meeting them halfway. Fixing that is not only a moral imperative, but a business one.”
 — Shawn Gremminger, President and CEO, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions

“NAMI applauds employers across the nation that are providing essential health coverage for millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. Yet timely access to effective mental health care remains out of reach for far too many working people and their families. We are encouraged that more employers recognize that supporting mental health in the workplace is not only the right thing to do—it’s a business imperative. We urge more employers to get on board and ensure that their employees and their families can access timely, high-quality mental health care when they need it most.”
— Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

“This new study is further proof that our work to improve access to care is far from over. We know millions of people with any mental illness do not receive treatment even though they have identified a need for care. We must ensure that treatment is within reach because no one is immune from a mental health or substance use challenge. We believe mental wellbeing is achievable for everyone — including individuals living with or recovering from a mental health or substance use challenge — and that mental wellbeing is the foundation of living a strong, healthy and fulfilling life. But we must eliminate the barriers that make it so hard for people to receive the care they need.”
—  Chuck Ingoglia, President and CEO, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

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Juliana Keeping
Path Forward
202-743-5536
juliana@pathforwardcoalition.org