Public insurance expansions and mental health care availability.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To provide new evidence on the effects of large-scale public health insurance expansions, associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), on the availability of specialty mental health care treatment in the United States. We measure availability with the probability that a provider accepts Medicaid.

Data source/study setting

The National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS) 2010-2018.

Study design

A quasi-experimental differences-in-differences design using observational data.

Data collection

The N-MHSS provides administrative data on the universe of specialty mental health care providers in the United States. Response rates are above 90 percent in all years. Data cover 85 019 provider/year observations.

Principal findings

ACA-Medicaid expansi

SUBMITTER: Blunt EO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7375998 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature