Effects of Limiting Medicaid Drug-Reimbursement Benefits on the Use of Psychotropic Agents and Acute Mental Health Services by Patients with Schizophrenia

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Abstract
We examined the effects of a three-prescription monthly payment limit (cap) on the use of psychotropic drugs and acute mental health care by noninstitutionalized patients with schizophrenia. We hypothesized that reducing access to such drugs would increase the use of emergency mental health services and the rate of partial hospitalizations (full-day or half-day treatment programs) and psychiatric-hospital admissions.