title: Mental health benefits in Employer-sponsored Health Plans, 1997-2003.
abstract: Data drawn from the Mercer National Survey of Employer-sponsored Health Plans in 1997 and 2003 indicate that a large majority of employers continue to provide some level of coverage for mental health (MH) services in their primary plans. However, a majority of plans continue to impose different benefit limitations for MH than for other medical treatment. Among plans with limitations on MH coverage, there was a sharp increase in the use of limits on inpatient days and outpatient visits between 1997 and 2003. The proportion of employers providing coverage for some MH services decreased; e.g., among small employers, 88% provided coverage for inpatient MH care in 2003, compared with 94% in 1997. These results suggest that parity legislation has had a noticeable but limited effect, but that, at least in the short-term, it is unlikely that universal parity in employer-based plans will be achieved through a legislative strategy.
authors.affiliation: Office of Organization and Financing, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 6-1065, Rockville, MD 20857, USA. judith.teich@samhsa.hhs.gov
authors.forename: Judith L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Teich
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Buck
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee; D006801:Humans; D007342:Insurance Benefits; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000639:trends*; D008605:Mental Health Services; D014481:United States