Privately insured people suffering from drug and alcohol addiction or mental health conditions pay more out-of-pocket for care and are more likely to see out-of-network providers than people with chronic physical health conditions, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open.
Between the lines: These costs prevent people from receiving care. The study used data from 2012–2017, a time frame during which the opioid epidemic was ravaging communities across the country.
By the numbers: Patients with mental health conditions spent $341 more on cost-sharing for out-of-network care than people with diabetes did.
People with drug use disorders spent $1,242 more, and those with alcohol use disorders spent $1,138 more.
This disparity is partially a result of how infrequently behavioral health providers participate in insurance networks.
"Combined with high demand and low rates of reimbursement, the workforce scarcity of behavioral health clinicians can represent the weakest component of health plan networks," the authors write.
