NEW YORK, May 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Children and young
adults under the age of 23 were disproportionately represented in
the increase in private insurance claim lines1 with
mental health diagnoses from 2007 to 2017, according to a new white
paper from FAIR Health, a national, independent, nonprofit
organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs
and health insurance information.
At a time of widespread concern about evidence of a nationwide
increase in behavioral health disorders, including both mental
health and substance use disorders, FAIR Health drew on data from
its database of over 28 billion private healthcare claim
records—the largest in the country—to analyze behavioral health
trends and patterns in the decade from 2007 to 2017. That period
spans the time prior to and after the passage of the Paul Wellstone
and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of
2008, which required a plan's coverage for behavioral health
treatment to be at parity with its coverage for medical-surgical
treatment.
Among the findings:
- Claim lines with behavioral health diagnoses increased 108
percent as a percentage of all medical claim lines from 2007 to
2017.
- In keeping with other researchers' findings that young people
are bearing much of the burden of the increase in mental health
disorders, FAIR Health found that the pediatric population (defined
as ages 0-22, to include people of college age) was
disproportionately represented in the increase in claim lines with
mental health diagnoses in the period 2007-2017. For example:
-
- The pediatric share of claim lines for major depressive
disorder increased from 15 percent to 23 percent.
- Claim lines for generalized anxiety disorder rose by greater
percentages for individuals of college age (19-22) and high school
age (14-18) than any adult group.
- For adjustment disorders, claim lines for young adults (ages
19-30, including college-age individuals) increased 78 percent—more
than for any other age group.
- Opioid dependence claim lines increased overall 1,180 percent
from 2007 to 2017—but fell 50 percent from 2015 to 2017.
- "Other stimulant dependence" (dependence on stimulants other
than cocaine) was the substance use disorder with the greatest
increase in claim lines from 2007 to 2017 (3,490 percent), despite
constituting a relatively small percentage of all medical claim
lines.
- From 2007 to 2017, claim lines associated with major depressive
disorder and generalized anxiety disorder became more common by
comparison to claim lines for all medical diagnoses in most parts
of the country—except the South.
FAIR Health President Robin
Gelburd commented: "At a time of change in the nation's
behavioral health, we are pleased to use our unparalleled data
repository to shed light on many aspects of both mental health and
substance use disorders. Our study provides a strong foundation of
key indicators of behavioral health services among the privately
insured. We look forward to further studies that focus on the
specific services rendered, the types of venues where patients seek
care and the specialties of the healthcare professionals providing
the services."
For the full white paper, click here.
Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth
About FAIR Health
FAIR Health is a national,
independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing
transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information
through data products, consumer resources and health systems
research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest
collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over
28 billion claim records contributed by payors and administrators
who insure or process claims for private insurance plans covering
more than 150 million individuals. FAIR Health licenses its
privately billed data and data products—including benchmark
modules, data visualizations, custom analytics, episodes of care
analytics and market indices—to commercial insurers and
self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare
systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a
national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data
representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in
traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health houses data on
Medicare Advantage enrollees in its private claims data repository.
FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data
products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for
government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR
Health's systems for processing and storing protected health
information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved
AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security
requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability
and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been
incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and
designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of
state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal
injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an
official reference point in support of certain state balance
billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise
out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its
database to power a free consumer website available in English and
Spanish and an English/Spanish mobile app, which enable consumers
to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offer a
rich educational platform on health insurance. The website has been
honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare
Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and
Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a
top resource for patients in Elisabeth
Rosenthal's book, An American Sickness: How Healthcare
Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more
information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.
1 A claim line is an individual procedure or
service listed on an insurance claim.
Contact:
Dean
Sicoli
Executive Director of Communications and Government Relations
FAIR Health
646-664-1645
dsicoli@fairhealth.org
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SOURCE FAIR Health