Mango Health Makes Mental Health Service More Affordable and Accessible

Equal access to mental health care, while incredibly substantial and impactful on one’s overall health, is still insufficient in the US. According to Mental Health America (MHA), 20.78% of US adults, equivalent to over 50 million, experienced mental illness in 2019-2020, with almost a third of them not able to receive necessary treatment.

Whether in treating anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, or Substance Use Disorder, treatment disparities are found among the population, mainly due to the uneven distribution of mental health care specialists and the lack of affordable therapy options.

A Y Combinator-backed startup founded by Jamison Mercurio and Zachary Gittelman, Mango Health, aims to make mental health more accessible to patients everywhere by connecting a private network of therapists with primary care practices.

Accessible Mental Health Care

While health insurance has often become a solution to inaccessible healthcare, especially when caused by unaffordability, it is also not uncommon to see health insurance companies denying much-needed care. Whether caused by paperwork mix-ups, cost control, or insurers questioning one’s medical necessity and urgency, insurance denials are a pain that many patients sadly just can’t avoid sometimes.

By having MH’s team of therapists partner with primary care practices, the startup intends to make care closely and conveniently available, always on standby for everyone facing mental health challenges and requiring urgent treatment. Using AI tools and infrastructure, MH’s online therapy and mental health care service allows patients to search through all the counselors and virtual therapists the startup provides and select ones that fit their current needs.

Once patients have been matched with a therapist or counselor specializing in specific treatments, MH ensures that patients would not need to wait more than a week to start meeting a healthcare professional. Once a patient sets an appointment, MH claims that its team can have a therapist ready for them in the same week. Based on availability, it is also possible for a patient to meet their therapist on that same day.

With the mental health crisis rate getting higher and even more spread out due to high cost and one’s inability to afford therapy, MH wishes to make mental health care affordable and within reach, easing the process by making payment options as flexible as possible.

Incentivized Referrals

After having nearly a decade of experience in building large-scale healthcare systems, specifically in automated visit tracking and billing, MH’s duo founders believe that they can properly serve not only the patients but the healthcare professionals as well.

Patients are given the option to use insurance, with MH assisting in the process if things go awry. Patients can also co-pay or just pay directly with an average care fee of $20 per visit, which primary care practice partners will also receive per patient visit for every patient they refer.

MH’s therapists, which at the moment include Nicole Crain, Ronnie Lee, and Kristen Hoskins, have PSYPACT credentials that make them licensed therapists in nearly 40 states. If MH were to encounter a patient outside of those states, the startup claims that its team will personally search for suitable therapists for them.

While MH’s current network of therapists is limited to specializing in general anxiety, depression, and life stressors, the startup plans to expand its network, bringing in specialists that can treat ADHD, OCD, and Substance Use Disorder as well as handle challenges in pediatrics and geriatrics.

Therapists, counselors, and primary care practices that wish to join in on MH’s good cause can get in touch with the startup’s team through its website.

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