NCJ Number
191417
Journal
Mental Health Services Research Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: 2001 Pages: 61-72
Date Published
2001
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of Colorado’s Medicaid mental health carve-out program on children in child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Abstract
Data came from Medicaid claims and encounter statistics for two experimental managed-care sites and one comparison fee-for-service site involving a total of 46,004 youths representing claims data from September 1994 to June 1997. The research estimated a two-part model of inpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment center use, controlling for the participant characteristics. Results revealed that juvenile justice and child welfare populations were more strongly affected by managed care than was the general youth population in relation to reduced use of inpatient and outpatient services. The increases in the use of residential treatment centers were greater for juvenile justice than for either the child welfare sample or the total sample. Most use effects were stronger for nonprofit than for-profit managed care organizations. The analysis concluded that Colorado’s experience implies that a mental health carve-out affects patterns of care for youth, and differentially so for youth in juvenile justice and child welfare systems. In addition, the effects are stronger for nonprofit than for for-profit managed care organizations. Tables and 36 references (Author abstract modified)