Uneven Supply Psychiatrists are not spread Across the country evenly. Across the country, the psychiatrist per 100,000 people ratio is about 16.5 per .1 million. That figure, which reaches its high in Massachusetts at 31.1 per .1 million, bottoms out at a little over 4.5 per 100,000 in Idaho. Counter-balancing the five states with the highest ratios Massachusetts, NY, PA, CA, and Texas are the five states with the lowest ratios: Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Alaska. The Western states have the lowest per capita supply. Health insurance In addition to the dilemma are the vagaries of coverage providers practices and public health care programs. Some psychiatrists will only see patients with personal insurance. Others, who are employed by regional behavioral health institutions, may only care for patients on the states Medicaid program. Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System will not see patients who have private insurance. And, there are some mental health doctors who will not accept any insurance policy plans. Many private health insurance plans will only pay for a restricted amount of mental health care. Mental health problems are singled out by insurance providers, and subsequent care may not be allowed despite persistent necessity. If a patient is still in need of care for depression, for example, but their plan only allows for no more than three mental care visits a year, they have to either discontinue care or pay for the care themselves. This is a very important issue for physicians in Arizona who believe that mental illnesses should be covered by insurers just like any other disease. For example, insurers usually will pay for as many outpatient visits and inpatient care needed to successfully handle a diabetic individual, but the same insurer will limit their benefits despite the necessity for ongoing care for patients who indeed have a mental health problem. While some of the mental health requirements of patients can be managed by psychologists, some patients may be too ill and in need of an physician who can prescribe medicine, something a psychologist cannot do. Over the years, doctors and mental health advocates have strongly lobbied for mental health parity that insurance companies treat mental illnesses like any other medical condition, thus leading to a greater availability of services for people with mental health problems. Cost The invisible costs of mental illness is immeasurable, but the monetary one is not. According to a report by the U.S. Surgeon General's office, in 1996 the United States spent more than ninety nine billion dollars for the direct treatment of mental disorders. In 1990, the most recent statistic for which estimates are obtainable, the indirect cost of all mental illness was at 79 billion USD, with most of that amount coming from loss of productivity due to premature death, incarceration and time spent by family members caring for the ill. Primary Care Alternative to Psychiatry Primary care physicians are trying to compensate for the insurance coverage void by discovering how to care for such patients on their own. Because those primary care doctors know they lack anywhere to send such patients, and the individual is going to keep returning to them for care anyway, it behooves the doctors to expand their skills to cover these kinds of problems. However, many insurers refuse to reimburse primary care physicians for mental health services and only cover such services if provided by a psychiatrist. Even with the health bill at last signed into law its effect on our health care is not recognized. By 2014 there will be an intensification in the enrollment into health care insurance programs. This build up when, pooled with the long term aging of the populace, should push demand for services and therefore cost higher. However, no one yet knows what will happen to remuneration rates from government funded insurances and this new program. The question is will there be a cut of reimbursement levels for different specialties by government funded insurances and this new program that may alternatively become a decreasing factor of the income of all specialties including Psychiatry, its related specialties, and subspecialties. Clearly the Obama administration has its hands full. We are getting older and there are fewer young people to carry this growing financial burden. The Sins of the Fathers..... Sources: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, School of Health Management and Policy at the W. P. Carey School of Business.
Article Source: http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit
Primary care doctors are trying to compensate for the insurance coverage abcess by discovering how to care for such patients on their own.
Pathology job , Nephrology job, Psychiatry job
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 5 4 out of 5 3 out of 5 2 out of 5 1 out of 5
