A Summary Report of the Cost-Effectiveness of the Profession and Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy

Abstract

This purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the cost-effectiveness research for the profession and practice of marriage and family therapy. Studies based on four sources of data were considered: (1) a western United States HMO covering 180,000 subscribers; (2) the Kansas State Medicaid system with over 300,000 beneficiaries; (3) Cigna, a large Unites States health insurance benefits management company with more than nine million subscribers; and (4) a marriage and family therapy training clinic in the western United States serving approximately 300 individuals and families a year. Results from the studies support the potential for a medical offset effect after couple or family therapy, with the largest reduction occurring for high utilizers of health care. The studies also show that covering family therapy as a treatment option and marriage and family therapists as a provider group is not associated with significantly higher treatment costs. An application of cost-effectiveness methodology to medical family therapy is also considered.