Behavioral Health Expenditures Estimated at $83 Billion in 1998 Public Sector Spending Reaches 54.9% of Total, Compared to 47% for All Health Care

OPEN MINDS, The Behavioral Health & Social Service Industry Analyst Industry Statistics The public sector has become the primary payer of behavioral health services in the United States, paying 54.2% of total mental health and chemical dependency treatment services in 1996. In the same year, government payments for all health care services was 47%. This was the conclusion of a study, "National Expenditures For Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Treatment, 1996" commissioned by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Other key findings included: National expenditures for behavioral . . .