Behavioral Health Outpaces Primary Care in 2024

In 2024, behavioral health visits among commercially insured individuals in the United States surpassed primary care visits for the first time, according to an analysis published by Behavioral Health Business and based on data from Trilliant Health.

The report found that behavioral health visits totaled 66.4 million in 2024, compared with 62.8 million primary care visits. Trilliant Health’s analysis showed that behavioral health utilization increased 44% since 2018, while primary care visits among commercially insured patients declined by 7% during the same period.

Behavioral health visits consistently have increased each year since 2018, the analysis noted, while primary care visits have remained relatively flat or declined slightly since 2021. According to Trilliant Health’s data, this marks the first year that behavioral health care accounted for a larger share of physician-service volume for commercially insured patients.

The report also noted a significant change in telehealth utilization among commercially insured patients. Behavioral health continued to account for the majority of all virtual visits, representing 67% of telehealth encounters in 2024. However, the total number of behavioral health telehealth visits declined from nearly 50 million in 2023 to just under 40 million in 2024.

By comparison, all other health care specialties combined accounted for just under 20 million telehealth visits in 2024. Overall, telehealth volume across all specialties has decreased 32% since 2020, according to the Trilliant Health analysis.