Treatment Centers

With increasing awareness about mental health disorders and the changing face of health insurance in the United States, it is very important for policy makers to understand the trends in mental health treatment. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is a function of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the survey’s data is used to provide regular reports about substance use in the United States.

Recently a report detailed the sources of payment for mental health treatment for adults, according to results for the NSDUH. The information was based on data from 2005 to 2009. Respondents to the survey who received services for mental health were asked who paid the cost of the services, not including any costs related to prescription medications used to treat a mental condition.

Approximately 15.7 million adults (7.1 percent of the population) received mental health services in the past year, with 14.9 (6.7 percent) receiving outpatient health care and 1.9 million receiving inpatient care (0.9 percent). Approximately 62.6 percent of the costs were covered by private insurance and about one-fifth of the costs were covered by public insurance. Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covered approximately 10 percent, and Medicare covered approximately 10 percent.

Among outpatient mental health patients, 34.5 percent of individuals reported that most of the cost was paid by private health insurance. For 26.2 percent of individuals receiving outpatient services, the source of payment was "self or family member." This equates to 3.9 million adults. For approximately 19.4 percent of adults, public health insurance paid most of the cost of outpatient mental health services.

For those who received inpatient mental health services, public health insurance was the most commonly used payment source. 43.7 percent of those who received inpatient care covered the cost through the use of public health insurance. Public insurance providers included Medicare and Medicaid. Private insurance was used to cover the cost of inpatient care for 18.3 percent of adults who received mental health services.

Approximately one quarter of adults who paid costs out-of-pocket for outpatient mental health services paid less than $100. Another 38.4 percent paid between $100 and $500 and almost one-third paid between $501 and $5,000, and only 2.3 percent paid more than $5,000 for out-of-pocket mental health services costs.

The information provided by the NSDUH helps policy makers understand trends in the ability of patients to receive mental health services. While many patients had to pay out-of-pocket for care, the percentage of patients who were required to pay over $5,000 for outpatient services was low.