Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Psych Patients With Cost-Sharing Plans Use More Services

People whose insurance plans better share the burden of the cost for mental health services use these programs more than those whose plans pick up less of the bill, a new study says.

The findings were based on a study of Medicare patients, some of whose plans provided equal cost-sharing and others whose plans put a greater cost burden on the patients. The patients in the study had recently received psychiatric discharges from facilities.

The study was published in the Dec. 24/31 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

U.S. health insurers have historically imposed higher out-of-pocket costs and greater restrictions for the use of mental health services than other medical illnesses.

READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST