Assessment of Behavioral Health Services Use Among Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries After Reductions in Coinsurance Fees.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Medicare has historically imposed higher beneficiary coinsurance for behavioral health services than for medical and surgical care but gradually introduced parity between 2009 and 2014. Although Medicare insures many people with serious mental illness (SMI), there is limited information on the impact of coinsurance parity in this population.

Objective

To examine the association between coinsurance parity and outpatient behavioral health care use among low-income beneficiaries with SMI.

Design, setting, and participants

This cohort study used Medicare claims data for a 50% national sample of lower-income Medicare beneficiaries from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2016. The study sample included patients with SMI (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major de

SUBMITTER: Fung V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7545309 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature