News Report | January 10, 2005
The New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: The Impact on Mental Health
January 10, 2005
The New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: The Impact on Mental Health For many years, mental health advocates have lamented lackluster coverage for mental health services under Medicare, which they say has imposed stigma-based distinctions in coverage between mental illness and other medical treatments. Indeed, Medicare coverage of mental illness treatment has remained virtually unchanged since the program's inception in 1965. Medicare beneficiaries have historically paid 50 percent of the cost of outpatient mental illness treatment, as opposed to 20 percent for all other (non-mental health) outpatient services. In addition, Medicare has imposed a . . .