Author Health Enters Three New States, Accelerating Access to Behavioral Health Care for Medicare Patients

BOSTON, Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Author Health (the "Company"), a specialized provider of mental health and dementia care for Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Special Needs Plan recipients, announced today the expansion of its behavioral health services and wraparound support into Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana.

As in many parts of the United States, demand for behavioral health services in Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana outpaces available clinical capacity, particularly for Medicare Advantage members¹. Across the country, this dynamic is accelerating interest in scalable, technology-enabled care models that complement existing services and extend the reach of clinicians. Author Health's virtual-first, team-based approach is designed to meet this growing demand.

The Company's care model supports each patient with psychiatry, therapy, and wraparound care management services tailored to individual needs. Treatment is technology-enabled and integrated with primary care and other health care services, helping deliver greater value and a seamless experience for individuals with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and dementia and for their caregivers.

"For decades there has been a severe behavioral health provider shortage in the U.S., and it is unlikely to improve in the near term. Through technology and the efficient design of our care team, we deliver highly specialized behavioral health care for individuals with the most severe and complex needs, even in hard-to-reach locations where those services otherwise would never be delivered," said Dr. Katherine Hobbs, CEO at Author Health. "Our approach has been successful with the Medicare and Special Needs Plan populations in Florida and Texas, and we're very optimistic about delivering a similar impact in Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana."

Author Health has a strong track record providing care for Medicare and Special Needs Plan recipients, with an industry-leading 60% initial engagement rate and an 80% monthly retention rate. More than 70% of patients with complex conditions who were treated by the Company demonstrated clinically significant improvement according to person reported health outcome measures. In addition to improving health, Author Health has demonstrated improved total cost of care, driven by significant reductions in avoidable inpatient stays and emergency department utilization for both physical and behavioral health.

The Company expects to announce additional state expansions in 2026.

About Author Health

Author Health is a specialized mental health provider dedicated to serving Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Special Needs Plan recipients living with mental health disorders and dementia.

Through a virtual-first care model that is integrated with primary care, Author Health seamlessly integrates clinical expertise, care management, and community support to deliver comprehensive mental health services that improve total health outcomes and costs.

Author Health was founded in 2022 by leading behavioral health experts. The company's tech-enabled platform makes quality mental health care accessible to historically underserved populations.

Author Health partners with health plans and provider groups (PCPs and hospital systems) to transform mental health care delivery. With today's announcement, Author Health now operates in five states–Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas. For more information, please visit www.authorhealth.com.

The statements contained in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The authors assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this document.

Media Contact:
Poorwa Bhaskar
Head of Market Growth & Operations
1-800-423-4400
[email protected]

¹ Zhu, J.M., Meiselbach, M.K., Drake, C., & Polsky, D. (2023) Psychiatrist networks in Medicare Advantage plans are substantially narrower than in Medicaid and ACA markets. Health Affairs. https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01547:

SOURCE Author Health