Survey Finds Mothers Face Major Barriers to Mental Healthcare Access
Count on Mothers and Inseparable released "Pulse Check 2026: Mothers on Mental Health, Care, and the Systems Around Their Families," a survey of 2,818 U.S. mothers and primary female caregivers conducted May 7-27. The report finds 50% of mothers nationally (48% in Florida) struggled with their own mental health in the past month, and 39% had a child needing behavioral health support in the past year, with 47% of those receiving only partial care or none due to barriers. Among parents facing barriers, 56% reported at least one insurance-related problem. Notably, mothers with employer-sponsored insurance reported less confidence their plans would cover adequate mental health care than mothers covered by Medicaid or CHIP, with only 6% of Medicaid mothers reporting no confidence in coverage versus higher distrust among commercially insured respondents.
The finding that Medicaid and CHIP enrollees reported more confidence in mental health coverage than commercially insured peers offers states and health plans evidence that public coverage can outperform commercial plans on perceived behavioral health access.
Behavioral Health · CHIP · Maternal
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