Rising Trends in Behavioral Health, Chronic Conditions, and Pregnancy: A Seven Year Analysis.
March 13th 2025
Understanding how the prevalence of health conditions changes over time is critical for shaping policies, improving care delivery, and addressing the needs of different populations. A recent analysis of medical claims data from New Hampshire's commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare insurance programs sheds light on key trends in behavioral health conditions, chronic diseases, and pregnancy prevalence over a seven-year period (2016-2022).
This analysis, part of a series examining healthcare utilization and spending, highlights which conditions have become more common and how prevalence differs across insurance programs.
Key Findings: Notable Trends in Health Condition Prevalence
Behavioral Health Conditions Are on the Rise, Especially Anxiety
Among behavioral health conditions, anxiety, ADHD, depression, and substance use disorder (SUD) were examined. Notably, anxiety rates have risen across all insurance programs, with increases ranging from 22% among Medicare beneficiaries to 59% among individuals with commercial insurance.
NH Medicaid had the highest prevalence of behavioral health conditions, with anxiety being the only exception – a condition that has increased across all payer groups. These findings reflect a growing need for mental health services and highlight the importance of expanding access to behavioral health care.
Chronic Conditions Vary by Insurance Type
Chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and autism show distinct patterns across different insurance populations:
- NH Medicare had the highest prevalence of diabetes and hypertension, which aligns with its older population.
- NH Medicaid had the highest prevalence of asthma and autism, reflecting the program's coverage of children, low-income families, and individuals with disabilities.
Pregnancy Prevalence Shows Shifting Trends
The analysis also examined pregnancy prevalence, which can offer insights into reproductive health trends, maternal care access, and demographic shifts. While the data reveal changes over time, additional research is needed to understand the underlying factors driving these trends.
Implications
These findings underscore the evolving healthcare needs of New Hampshire’s insured population. The significant rise in anxiety suggests a growing demand for mental health services, while variations in chronic condition prevalence highlight the importance of payer-specific care strategies.
As policymakers, insurers, and healthcare providers work to address these challenges, ensuring timely, effective, and affordable care will be essential – especially for behavioral health and chronic disease management.
For more insights into healthcare trends in New Hampshire, explore our previous analyses on healthcare spending, out-of-pocket costs, and high-cost conditions:
- Covering the Care: Most Prevalent Health Conditions and Their Associated Costs Among NH’s Insured Population – Behavioral Health and Cardiovascular Disease Top the List
- Covering the Care: Pharmaceutical Utilization and Per-Member-Per-Month Costs
- Covering the Care: Most Costly Health Conditions – Metabolic Disorders, Hemophilia, Cancers, and Transplants Top the List
- Covering the Care: Pregnancy Tops the List of Highest Out-Of-Pocket Costs for NH’s Commercially Insured
- Bethany Swanson
Blog Post Archive
Rising Trends in Behavioral Health: Chronic Conditions, and Pregnancy: A Seven Year Analysis
March 13th 2025
The prevalence of certain health conditions in New Hampshire are on the rise, to find out which ones, why, and the implications, read Bethany Swanson's summary here.
Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs Are Rising - Pregnancy Tops the List.
March 10th 2025
According to recent medical claims data, Pregnancy with delivery has the highest out-of-pocket costs. Read about other findings and implications here.
Understanding New Hampshire's Most Costly Health Conditions
February 27th 2025
Bethany Swanson explores the financial impact of the most costly conditions in New Hampshire based on a recent analysis of medical claims data from Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial insurers.
Hospital Cost Containment through Tax Legislation?
February 21th 2025
Kimberly Persson details how hospital prices have been dramatically increasing, and how legislation to tax hospitals on excessive prices could be part of the solution.
Strengthening Support for Youth: How New Hampshire is Expanding Awareness and Access to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
February 18th 2025
In efforts to better market the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, New Hampshire plans use results from a recent survey conducted by IHPP on college and high school student's awareness and perceptions of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The findings of the survey, future recommendations, and more, are detailed and analyzed by Tess Pueschel and Susy Peoples.
Unaffordable Employer Sponsored Insurance - Could ICHRA Be the Solution Employers Need?
February 14th 2025
Increases in employer-sponsored insurance have left employees unable to afford premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs) offered by employers are changing the benefits game; Kimberly Persson details how.
What is Old is New Again: Medicaid Work Requirements and Changing the Federal Share of Medicaid Spending
February 10th 2025
Deb Fournier details how Medicaid financing and work requirements are changing, and what that might mean for Americans depending on this program.
Understanding Pharmaceutical Utilization and Costs in New Hampshire: Key Insights from 2022
February 7th 2025
An analysis of New Hampshire pharmacy claims from major insurance payers presents interesting findings, read Bethany Swanson's take on the implications of the complex relationship between drug utilization and costs in NH.
Health Policy for New Hampshire and Country
February 3rd 2025
Read a list of what Deborah Fournier and the rest of the Health Law and Policy Team are reading in the health policy space this February:
Measuring Total Healthcare Expenditures
January 23rd 2025
Healthcare costs are rising, and we don't know how much we spend on healthcare, or what we're spending it on. Read Lucy Hodder's analysis of current healthcare expenditures and what we're doing about it in New Hampshire.
The Disparate Data on Opioid Overdose Deaths: A Call to Close the Gap
January 13th 2025
The United States is seeing a decrease in opioid overdose deaths for the first time since 2018, but not for all demographics. Susy Peoples shows that it is time to develop community-specific response strategies across the United States. Additionally, take a look at an analysis of New Hampshire's response to this epidemic.
US Continues to Receive Bad Marks in Healthcare
December 12th 2024
See an analysis of this year's Mirror, Mirror report from the Commonwealth Fund and continued reports of healthcare facilities struggling with inadequate staffing.
Four New Hampshire Hospitals Earn “A” on the Fall 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade
November 15th 2024
On November 15th, The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, announced the Fall 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.
How Hospitals Use a Low-Cost Drug Program to Profit on Patient Care
November 2024
Have you ever heard of 340B? No? Well, it’s coming. Policy pundits across the country predict that 340B will be a prime topic of conversation for employers in the coming year because it is costing them a lot of money and contributing to the unsustainable growth in healthcare expenditures.
Continuing the quest for affordable and equitable healthcare
October 17th 2024
On October 17, IHPP held its annual symposium, this year entitled, “Continuing the quest for affordable and equitable healthcare.” Attendees discussed the wicked problem of healthcare costs and affordability in New Hampshire. The day’s dialogue included the current trends in healthcare prices and the affordability crisis in healthcare, affordability as a component of access and equity, primary care’s role in improving costs and outcomes, equity beyond affordability, and available state policy solutions to address cost and affordability, such as cost growth benchmarks with Rachel Block of Milbank Memorial Fund and prohibiting anti-competitive contracting with Maureen Hensley-Quinn at NASHP.
On October 25, the New Hampshire Insurance Department held its annual hearing on its report on NH healthcare premium rates and claims. Public comment is being accepted on the report through November 15, 2024. NHID also held a robust discussion of using a total healthcare expenditure model to learn more about New Hampshire’s drivers of healthcare costs – neatly echoing the cost growth benchmark discussion that was held the week prior at the symposium. Panelists included Rhode Island’s Health Insurance Commissioner, Cory King and President of the Milbank Memorial Funds, Chris Koller.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s office held a public hearing about the proposal for HCA to purchase Catholic Medical Center on October 23, 2024. Public comments are being accepted through November 1, 2024.
Last in this post, but certainly not least, Medicare Open Enrollment began on October 15 and Marketplace Open Enrollment begins November 1.
