What Drove Private Health Insurance Spending On Mental Health And Substance Abuse Care, 1992–1999?

Abstract
Trends in MH/SA treatment spending from 1992 to 1999 were examined using employer claims data from approximately 1.7 million covered lives in each year. The analysis finds that employer-based private insurance spending on MH/SA treatment did not keep pace with total employer-based private insurance spending or general price inflation. MH/SA spending dropped from 7.2 percent of total private insurance spending in 1992 to 5.1 percent in 1999. The decline was attributable to a dramatic decrease in inpatient MH/SA treatment—specifically, the probability of admissions and average length-of-stay.