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• Medicare
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National Estimates of Mental Health Insurance Coverage

Mathematica produced estimates of the proportion of the U.S. population that had mental health benefits in 1999, the extent of their coverage, and the proportion enrolled in health plans subject to the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA). We estimated the number of people with coverage for mental health services, by source of coverage and characterized the generosity of mental health coverage by examining the types of limits placed on that coverage. 

To estimate the number of people with various sources of primary health coverage, such as employer-based coverage, Medicare, and Medicaid, we relied on the Current Population Survey and administrative data.  To estimate the number of people with mental health benefits through their employers and the generosity of these benefits, we used two employer-based surveys:  (1) the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Insurance Component, and (2) the 1999 Mercer/Foster Higgins Survey. 

Findings indicate that over three-quarters (76 percent) of the U.S. population had mental health benefits as part of their health insurance. Approximately 18 percent had no such benefits; for the remaining 6 percent, mental health benefits could not be determined. Of the 18 percent with no mental health benefits, 84 percent also had no health insurance; the remainder (16 percent) had health insurance that did not cover mental health benefits. Estimates of the generosity of coverage indicate that for 44 percent of the population, benefits included prescription drugs as well as at least 30 inpatient days and 20 outpatient visits for psychiatric care. For 12 percent of the population, benefit generosity could not be determined. Finally, study results suggest that the MHPA applied to only 42 percent of the U.S. population.

Publications

"National Estimates of Mental Health Insurance Benefits," Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research(May 2006)
"National Estimates for Mental Health Insurance Benefits" (2004)