Mental healthcare access lacking, despite policies meant to increase rolls of insured
About 9.5 percent of psychologically distressed Americans in 2014 still didn't have insurance that covered psychiatrists, counselors, study shows.
Despite provisions in the Affordable Care Act meant to reduce insurance coverage disparities for people with mental health issues, access to healthcare services have deteriorated for those reporting severe distress, according to a new study.
Those ACA provisions, in addition to those found in the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, were meant to increase access to services. But researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center found that about 9.5 percent of psychologically distressed Americans in 2014 still didn't have health insurance that would give them access to a psychiatrist or counselor. That's a slight increase from 2006, when 9 percent lacked any insurance.
About 10.5 percent in 2014 experienced delays in getting professional help due to insufficient mental health coverage, while 9.5 percent said they experienced such delays in 2006. And 9.9 percent could not afford to pay for their psychiatric medications in 2014, up from 8.7 percent in 2006.
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Although more research is necessary to determine concrete reasons why mental health services are diminishing, the authors suggest it may be due to shortages in professional help, increased costs of care not covered by insurance, or perhaps even economic recession.
Roughly 3.4 percent of the U.S. population, or more than 8.3 million, adult Americans suffer from serious psychological distress, or SPD, the report said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducts the National Health Interview Survey on which the research is based, SPD combines feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and restlessness that are hazardous enough to impair people's physical well-being.
The study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, encourages health policies designed to incorporate mental health services and screenings into physicians' practices through the use of electronic medical records, and by providing training for all healthcare professionals.
Twitter: @JELagasse
