Revisiting Offsets of Psychotherapy Coverage
Publikation: Working paper › Forskning
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Revisiting Offsets of Psychotherapy Coverage. / Serena, Benjamin Ly.
2021.Publikation: Working paper › Forskning
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TY - UNPB
T1 - Revisiting Offsets of Psychotherapy Coverage
AU - Serena, Benjamin Ly
PY - 2021/3/4
Y1 - 2021/3/4
N2 - Mental illness is a leading cause of disability worldwide with vast costs to society. Yet,insurance coverage for effective treatments remains limited. This paper revisits the OffsetHypothesis, which claims insurance coverage for psychotherapy is self-financing through reductions in the use of other health care services and improved labor market outcomes. Istudy a 2008 reform of the Danish public health care system that introduced 60 percentcoverage of the cost of psychotherapy for depression and anxiety patients below age 38. Using Regression Discontinuity and Difference-in-Difference designs, I show that psychotherapycoverage reduces the use of other mental health services, physical health care and suicideattempts, but does not impact employment, sick leave or disability pension receipt. Still, thereduction in health care costs is sufficiently large to finance the policy. This suggests mentalhealth coverage is both welfare improving and cost reducing.
AB - Mental illness is a leading cause of disability worldwide with vast costs to society. Yet,insurance coverage for effective treatments remains limited. This paper revisits the OffsetHypothesis, which claims insurance coverage for psychotherapy is self-financing through reductions in the use of other health care services and improved labor market outcomes. Istudy a 2008 reform of the Danish public health care system that introduced 60 percentcoverage of the cost of psychotherapy for depression and anxiety patients below age 38. Using Regression Discontinuity and Difference-in-Difference designs, I show that psychotherapycoverage reduces the use of other mental health services, physical health care and suicideattempts, but does not impact employment, sick leave or disability pension receipt. Still, thereduction in health care costs is sufficiently large to finance the policy. This suggests mentalhealth coverage is both welfare improving and cost reducing.
KW - mental health
KW - health insurance
KW - health care
KW - offset
KW - labor market
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - mental health
KW - health insurance
KW - health care
KW - offset
KW - labor market
U2 - 10.2139/ssrn.3797764
DO - 10.2139/ssrn.3797764
M3 - Working paper
T3 - CEBI Working Paper Series
BT - Revisiting Offsets of Psychotherapy Coverage
ER -
ID: 258082335