Am J Psychiatry 1978; 135:1185-1188
Copyright © 1978 by American Psychiatric Association
Third-party payers: to pay or not to pay
SS Sharfstein
Insurance companies have traditionally been wary of providing coverage for
mental illness for two reasons: 1) they fear that people would bring a
mental illness on themselves or would use treatment for self-
actualization, and 2) they fear the risk of providing never-ending
treatment for "incurable" illness. The author states that the insurers'
fears are groundless but suggests that psychiatrists research the
utilization and costs of their treatments in insurance plans
collaboratively with the actuaries who determine policy and premiums.
Retrospective and prospective criteria for outcome and effectiveness of
psychiatric treatment must be developed and applied.
