Hanson K W
Health Policy Program, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Psychiatr Serv. 1998 Aug;49(8):1059-66. doi: 10.1176/ps.49.8.1059.
Research on public opinion has seldom been incorporated into the debate about appropriate coverage of mental health and substance abuse treatment services in health insurance plans. However, several surveys have been conducted to probe for voters' awareness of and attitudes toward persons with mental illness and insurance coverage of their treatment needs. Given the current debate over mandating parity for coverage of mental health and substance abuse treatment services, these data promise to be particularly useful to politicians and health policy analysts. The author reviews reports of survey research conducted between 1989 and 1994 to assess American voters' support for expansions of mental health and substance abuse treatment coverage, including their knowledge about the origins and implications of mental illness and their willingness to pay for more generous benefits. The results suggest widespread support for such benefit expansions, but voters express concern about potential increases in their taxes or in their health insurance premiums. To facilitate the passage of meaningful reforms for mental health and substance abuse treatment benefits, policy makers must present realistic estimates of the costs of such expansions and of the benefits to be delivered to those in need.
关于公众舆论的研究很少被纳入关于医疗保险计划中精神健康和药物滥用治疗服务的适当覆盖范围的辩论。然而,已经进行了几项调查,以探究选民对精神疾病患者的认识和态度以及对其治疗需求的保险覆盖情况。鉴于目前关于强制实现精神健康和药物滥用治疗服务覆盖平等的辩论,这些数据有望对政治家和卫生政策分析师特别有用。作者回顾了1989年至1994年间进行的调查研究报告,以评估美国选民对扩大精神健康和药物滥用治疗覆盖范围的支持,包括他们对精神疾病的起源和影响的了解以及为更慷慨的福利付费的意愿。结果表明,人们普遍支持扩大此类福利,但选民对税收或医疗保险费可能增加表示担忧。为了推动通过有意义的精神健康和药物滥用治疗福利改革,政策制定者必须对这种扩大的成本以及将提供给有需要者的福利进行现实的估计。