Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:761-764
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Current issues in national insurance for mental health services
SH Nelson
The current economic crisis has again placed in jeopardy the inclusion of
mental health benefits under national health insurance. The author notes
that progress has been made in establishing effective peer review systems
and in demonstrating that costs of mental health services are reasonable.
Yet the lack of agreement on diagnosis and appropriate treatment, the
inadequacy of utilization, cost, and treatment outcome data, and the
absence of professional self-regulation remain causes for concern in the
effort toward eventual comprehensive coverage for mental disorders.
