Medicaid Coverage For Mental Illness Re-Examined By States

OPEN MINDS, The Behavioral Health & Social Service Industry Analyst

Industry News

States facing budget shortfalls are likely to re-examine their Medicaid coverage for people with mental illness, who are among the costliest clients to serve. Mental health clients constitute only 11% of Medicaid beneficiaries, but they account for a third of high-cost benefits. High per-capita cost is due to the fact that people with mental illness often have multiple, complex health needs. It is also due to the fact that mental illness can be very costly to . . .