["Suddenly, no more money was left". The role of financing in the Austrian mental health care reform].
OBJECTIVE
The article studies the role of financing mental health care for the mental health care service structure in the process of moving towards a patient-oriented and decentralised mental health care system.


METHODS
The analysis is based on a description of the Austrian mental health care financing system and a discourse-analytical examination of reform documents and interviews with key actors in this country.


RESULTS
Existing structures of mental health care services are a reflection of mental health care financing structures. Reform goals are in various forms linked to financing issues. However, an explicit discussion of the finance issues in reform documents is widely missing.


CONCLUSIONS
Adapting the finance of mental health care to new paradigms of mental health care provision requires not just technical modifications, but also improved transparency of processes and implications involved.
Zechmeister
Ingrid
I
Abteilung für Sozialpolitik, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Austria. ingrid.zechmeister@wu-wien.ac.at
Osterle
August
A
D001317:Austria; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D003363:Cost Control / Q000639:trends; D005380:Financing, Government / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005382:Financing, Personal / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D005544:Forecasting; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000191:economics; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*; D040841:Resource Allocation / Q000191:economics