Managed Mental Health Care

ABSTRACT

Managed mental health care has become a dominant response to the nation's escalating health care costs. The quality of the mental health and substance abuse benefits is vital to the effectiveness of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). This article reports on a study of the perceptions of EAP consumers about the quality of their mental health benefits. It was found that increasing out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, constraints in limits and durations were serious concerns. Furthermore, universal health care structure was found preferable over the present system of managed health care. The implications for EAP practice are discussed.