Managed Care - April 2008 - (Page 25) mental health and substance abuse benefits. DEPRESSION GOES LARGELY UNTREATED Forty-six states now have some ntreated or undertreated depression costs the American economy form of parity law in place, accordtens of billions of dollars a year in lost productivity and medical ing to the National Conference of comorbidities, according to researchers. Younger adults, who are State Legislatures. Under the Emdisproportionately uninsured, are particularly susceptible. Mental ployee Retirement Income Security health benefit parity could help lower those numbers because about Act (ERISA), self-insured employhalf of the untreated or undertreated people suffering from the illness ers, whose health plans include 82 say they can’t afford treatment. million of the 113 million enrollees that would be affected by the proTreatment for depression, by gender & age, 2005–2006 posed legislation, according to the Received treatment No treatment American Psychological Association, Gender are exempt from these state laws. The language of the legislation of Women 72.2% 27.8% both bills requires self-insured emMen 58.2% 41.8% ployers to offer parity if they offer mental health and substance abuse Adults’ age benefits. 18–25 46.9% 53.1% In Minnesota, which has had a parity law for nearly eight years, 26–34 62.0% 38.0% “self-insured employers almost all 35–49 70.3% 29.7% offer parity now,” says Donna Zimmerman, vice president for govern50+ 81.9% 18.1% ment affairs at HealthPartners in Minneapolis. Source: January 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report, “Treatment for Past Year “This type of legislation helps Depression Among Adults” ( SAMHSA, www. samhsa.gov) tear down stigma barriers,” she adds. “It makes good medical sense to $2.13 trillion spent on all health care that year). An treat mental illness like any other chronic disease. Open Minds report on SAMHSA data found that The Senate version accomplishes that without being public sector sources such as Medicaid and other overbroad.” state and local programs made up the largest part If the federal parity law passes, coverage will be of that spending (58 percent) — growing to an esimproved in the many states that offer limited vertimated $76.3 million for last year from an actual sions of parity. “If this law passes with this ERISA $17 million in 1986 and $58.3 million in 2003. amendment, and they keep the language that states That’s an annual increase in public spending of that parity laws are pre-empted if only they are about 7.3 percent. equal or better, this is a huge breakthrough for conAccording to AHIP and many health plan offisumers,” says Monica E. Oss, president of Open cials, the private sector has the tools necessary to Minds, a behavioral health consulting company in successfully manage mental health and substance Gettysburg, Pa. “What has been happening in menabuse treatment. “The tools in place now have tal health has been that there has been cost-shiftdemonstrated their effectiveness,” says Zirkelbach. ing from the private to the public sector. This may “Many plans have long been working with emhelp slow that down.” ployers to develop flexible benefits and to promote access.” Progress made Plans use employee assistance programs, WebAccording to the Substance Abuse and Mental based information systems and interactive proHealth Services Administration (SAMHSA), the total spending on mental health treatment in 2007 grams, medication reminders, health coaching, and is estimated to be $127 billion (of an estimated case management to help improve quality and con- U APRIL 2008 / MANAGED CARE 25 http://www.samhsa.gov
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.