Margarita Alegr??a|Julia Lin|C.-S. Chen|Naihua Duan|Benjamin Lê Cook|Xiao?Li Meng
The Impact of Insurance Coverage in Diminishing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Behavioral Health Services
Cambridge Health Alliance|Harvard University|The Coordinating Center|National Taipei University|New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute|Columbia University|Cambridge Health Alliance|Harvard University|Harvard University Press
objective estimate whether racialethnic behavioral health service disparities likely reduced insurance expansion coverage expected affordable health care act data sources pooled data nationally representative nimh collaborative psychiatric epidemiological studies 20012003 study design employ novel reweighting method estimate service disparities presence absence insurance coverage data collection access care assessed whether behavioral health treatment received past year need determined presence prior year psychiatric disorder psychiatric diagnoses physical comorbidities gender age principal findings improving patient education availability community clinics combined insurance coverage reduces service disparities across racialethnic groupshowever even expanded insurance coverage approximately 10 percent fewer frican mericans need behavioral health services likely receive services compared non l atino whites l atinos show measurable disparity conclusions expansion insurance coverage might different effects racialethnic groups requiring additional interventions reduce disparities groups