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Laypersons’ Choices and Deliberations for Mental Health Coverage

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Abstract

Insurance coverage for mental health services has historically lagged behind other types of health services. We used a simulation exercise in which groups of laypersons deliberate about healthcare tradeoffs. Groups deciding for their “community” were more likely to select mental health coverage than individuals. Individual prioritization of mental health coverage, however, increased after group discussion. Participants discussed: value, cost and perceived need for mental health coverage, moral hazard and community benefit. A deliberative exercise in priority-setting led a significant proportion of persons to reconsider decisions about coverage for mental health services. Deliberations illustrated public-spiritedness, stigma and significant polarity of views.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Sara E. Evans-Lacko

  2. Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Nancy Baum & Susan Goold

  3. Section on Ethics and Health Policy, Department of Clinical Bioethics, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Marion Danis

  4. Bioethics Consultation Service, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Marion Danis

  5. Health Policy and Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Andrea Biddle

  6. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical school, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Susan Goold

  7. Bioethics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Susan Goold

Authors
  1. Sara E. Evans-Lacko
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  2. Nancy Baum
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  3. Marion Danis
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  4. Andrea Biddle
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  5. Susan Goold
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Correspondence to Sara E. Evans-Lacko.

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Evans-Lacko, S.E., Baum, N., Danis, M. et al. Laypersons’ Choices and Deliberations for Mental Health Coverage. Adm Policy Ment Health 39, 158–169 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-011-0341-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-011-0341-4

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