Insurance for mental health care

Abstract

It appears that demand from such employee groups as the United Auto Workers, the United Steel Workers, and the Federal Employees, as well as the increasing acceptance and availability of Community Mental Health Centers is leading to a sizeable increase in the populations covered by psychiatric insurance and the scope of services offered. This is true of commercial insurance companies as well as Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Whether this increase will greatly affect utilization, or out-of-pocket expenditures for psychiatric care, cannot be determined; however, the trend toward collective financing of psychiatric insurance under labor, employer, and other group auspices is clearly established.