Enrollment in managed behavioral health programs (MBHPs) and employee assistance programs (EAPs) rose to 227 million in our 2002/2003 survey of managed behavioral health and employee assistance program market share in the United States, an increase of a little over 2% since 2001. Over the ten-year period tracked by OPEN MINDS (1993 to 2002), the total number of enrollees in these programs has risen 163%, from 86.3 million in 1993 to today’s 227 million figure.

As of 2002, Magellan Behavioral Health continued to dominate the market, capturing 30.28% market share of total enrollment in 2002. The top three vendors - Magellan Behavioral Health, ValueOptions, and United Behavioral Health - represent a little over 50% of the 2002 market. Approximately 75% of the market is controlled by ten companies.

Of the estimated 250 million Americans with health insurance, approximately 164.1 million (66%) are enrolled in some type of managed behavioral health program. It should be noted that this figure excludes the number of individuals with behavioral health coverage through a health maintenance (HMO) that opts to managed behavioral health benefits without the assistance of a specialty MBHP.

Employee assistance program enrollment has risen steadily over the past decade. In 1993, there were 27.2 million individuals enrolled in EAP programs - 20 million in stand alone EAPs and 7.2 million in integrated MBH/EAP models. This is a contrast with 2002/2003 figures of 62.8 million and 17.4 million respectively. The total EAP enrollment of 80.2 million represents a 194% increase since 1993, and a 17.1% increase since our 2000/2001 survey.

To determine enrollment, OPEN MINDS surveyed managed behavioral health organizations and employee assistance providers as of January, 2002. Five types of programs were evaluated:

• Stand-alone behavioral health utilization review programs
• Non-risk-based managed behavioral health network programs
• Risk-based behavioral health programs
• Stand-alone employee assistance programs (EAPs)
• Integrated managed behavioral health/EAP programs

The complete survey report, OPEN MINDS Yearbook of Managed Behavioral Health & Employee Assistance Program Market Share in the United States, 2002 - 2003, which includes enrollment data, presentation chart masters, and more, is available for $195 in paper or electronic (PDF) format. The survey data is also on CD-ROM is available for $395. For more information, see www.openminds.com/publicate/pubintrod2.htm.