Does managing behavioral health care services increase the cost of providing medical care?

Abstract

This study examined the possibility that managing behavioral health care services achieves savings by cost shifting--by denying care or impeding access to care--and in that way encouraging patients to seek needed behavioral health care in the medical care system. In 1993, a large industrial company carved out employee behavioral health care from its unmanaged, indemnity medical care benefits and offered employees an enhanced benefit package through a managed behavioral health care company. This study compared the use and cost of behavioral health care and medical care services for two years before the carve-out and for three years afterward. The rate of behavioral health care usage remained the same or increased after the carve-out, while the cost of providing the care decreased. Controlling for trends that began before the inception of managed behavioral health, medical care costs decreased for those using behavioral health care services. No evidence supporting cost shifting was found.