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Understanding the financial impact of mental health care for employers and members has long been a challenge, with limited data that’s often hard to interpret. Yet, having clear and relevant data is essential for making informed decisions about mental health benefits—choices that can change lives and drive significant economic value for businesses.
We’re excited to share findings from a new actuarial analysis by global consulting firm Aon. Their research underscores the return on investment employers can achieve by offering Lyra Health to their employees.
The findings reinforce how investing in robust mental health care with Lyra delivers significant, measurable ROI for both employers and their members across a wide spectrum of mental health conditions.
Employers save over $4k per member, per year with Lyra
Aon’s latest report reveals significant, year-long cost savings for a Fortune 500 company with over 100,000 members. Employees and dependents who used Lyra for mental health care spent $4,138 less per year than those who sought care through their health insurance or other providers.
Here’s how the savings break down:
This finding reinforces what we’ve known for years: When people get evidence-based, culturally responsive care tailored to their unique mental health needs, they avoid costlier, unproven treatments that don’t lead to real improvement.
“Giving people suffering from mental health challenges high-quality care results in the best outcome for individuals and their employers. Proven, evidence-based mental health care gets people the fastest and strongest improvement with care,” said Anita Lungu, VP of clinical product and research at Lyra. “Accessing this efficient, effective care also translates into cost savings for employers, as resources aren’t squandered on inadequate care. Better mental health also leads to better physical health, so employers see additional savings from pharmaceutical and other medical costs.”
Even greater savings for people with substance use disorders
The study also highlights substantial savings for members and their dependents seeking treatment for alcohol and other substance use disorders (SUDs). According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 48.5 million—17% of Americans aged 12 or older—experienced addiction over the past year.
Aon’s latest study reveals that members struggling with SUDs saved $11,809 per person over the year studied. While employees with complex mental health needs, such as SUDs, represent a smaller portion of a company’s workforce, their care often incurs the highest costs. In fact, research has shown that just 20% of insured members drive 80% of employers’ overall health care spending.
With Lyra, members seeking treatment for these complex conditions have access to specialized, evidence-based care that delivers lasting symptom improvement, helping them avoid costly and often ineffective alternatives.
“When building Lyra Complex Care, we focused on four critical components not offered anywhere else: a specialized network of facility partners; a dedicated multidisciplinary team of complex care experts; a comprehensive assessment and triage process designed to precisely connect members to the right level of high-acuity care; and true end-to-end support,” explained Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH, Lyra’s VP of psychiatry and complex care.
A commitment to rigorous measurement and transparency
This latest research offers HR and benefits leaders a clear formula to better predict the health plan savings your organization can achieve by partnering with Lyra.
We understand that finding straightforward information on the ROI of dedicated mental health care benefits can be challenging. That’s why we’re committed to offering the details you need to make informed decisions.
These findings build on our previous report, also validated by Aon, which showed that for every $1 a company invested in Lyra, it saved $3. Additionally, a longitudinal study published by Aon earlier this year found that employers offering Lyra’s mental health benefit experienced an average 26% reduction in annual health plan spending for participants over four years. The savings for children and teens in the study were even higher—a 54% reduction.
All of this data gives you a deeper understanding of the health care cost savings you can achieve, while allowing us to continuously refine and enhance our offerings for even more effective mental health care across industries.
Maximizing your workforce mental health investment
We know that busy HR and benefits teams are often pressed for time and resources while navigating a complex landscape of benefit options that can raise more questions than answers. That’s why Lyra stands out as the only mental health benefit provider offering real savings data with a detailed, third-party-validated cost breakdown. We’re dedicated to providing you with the numbers you need to make the critical, game-changing decisions your people and your business depend on.
