June 18, 2003

The Provision of Mental Health Services in Managed Care Organizations

This brief was written by Constance M. Horgan, Elizabeth Levy Merrick, Deborah W. Garnick, Dominic Hodgkin, Robert E. Cenczyk, R. William Lusenhop, and Sarita Bhalotra. This study reports on a nationally representative survey of managed care organizations (MCOs) regarding how mental health services were provided in 1999, and how the provision varies by product type and contracting arrangement. This paper refers to three types of products, (how the MCO organizes or packages the health services it sells): health maintenance organizations, point-of-service plans, and preferred provider organizations.