The Costs of Covering Mental Health and Substance Abuse Care at the Same Level as Medical Care in Private Insurance Plans

This is a testimony presented to the Health Insurance Committee, National Conference of Insurance Legislators on July 13, 2001 in Chicago, Illinois. I am a senior economist at RAND and director of economic and policy research in the UCLA/RAND Center on Managed Care. RAND is a nonprofit institution t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Thirtle, Michael R
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
COSTS
DECISION MAKING
DRUG ABUSE
ECONOMICS
Economics and Cost Analysis
EDUCATION
HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT
INSURANCE
MEDICAL SERVICES
Medicine and Medical Research
MENTAL HEALTH
POLICIES
RAND REPORTS
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Summary:This is a testimony presented to the Health Insurance Committee, National Conference of Insurance Legislators on July 13, 2001 in Chicago, Illinois. I am a senior economist at RAND and director of economic and policy research in the UCLA/RAND Center on Managed Care. RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. This statement is based on research funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The opinions and conclusions expressed are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of RAND or the research sponsors. My research has focused on costs and utilization patterns for mental health and substance abuse treatment in today's health care environment. New data are needed to inform policy decisions because the health care delivery system has changed dramatically. For most privately insured Americans, behavioral health (which includes mental health and substance abuse care) is now managed by specialized managed care companies. Treatment patterns have changed dramatically, and patterns criticized in the