Posted: 01/26/09
Standard and supplemental insurance plans have traditionally placed higher out-of-pockets costs on the patient when using metal health services than with other medical illnesses. A new study has found that practice to decrease the likelihood of obtaining treatment than those who have a plan that shares more of the cost. The study followed Medicare patients with various cost-sharing plans who had recently been discharged from psychiatric facilities. When you consider the fact that less than half of individuals with mental illness receive care for their condition, the effect of regular or supplemental insurance plans is significant. Patients whose individual medical health insurance plans split the costs were more likely to visit a mental health practitioner sooner after a hospitalization than those without. Follow up visits are vital as they lower the readmission rate, improve mental health outcomes and provides a smoother transition to community-based services.
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