Estimated Behavioral Health Spending for 1997: $73.1 Billion Government Sponsored Health Plans Topped All Other Categories

OPEN MINDS, The Behavioral Health & Social Service Industry Analyst Industry Statistics OPEN MINDS has estimated that all payers spent $73.1 billion in 1997 on behavioral health care. This is 7.1% of the 1997 total U.S. health care spending of $1,031.7 billion, according to figures by the Health Care Financing Administration. Behavioral health spending includes monies spent on mental health and chemical dependency treatment services. These figures do not include spending on psychotropic medications. Government-sponsored health plans spent more money on behavioral health care then any other category, at $44 billion in 1997. The . . .