The Relationship Between Insurance Coverage and Mental Illness Treatment

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorWatt, Toni
dc.contributor.authorHeinen, Jeanne M.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberGiuffre, Patti
dc.contributor.committeeMemberSeay, Ollie
dc.date.accessioned2014-08-19T19:22:04Z
dc.date.available2014-08-19T19:22:04Z
dc.date.issued2014-07
dc.description.abstractRising rates of mental illness leave researchers questioning the accessibility and effectiveness of mental healthcare. Individuals most at risk for narrow treatment protocols include our most socially and economically vulnerable groups. The purpose of this study is to analyze how insurance coverage (private, public, and uninsured) affects treatment patients with mental illness receive including therapy, medication, and alternative treatments. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2009) was used to analyze a representative sample of adults with a self-reported mental illness in the past year. Three regressions were run analyzing effects of insurance on treatment received controlling for basic demographic variables as well as mental illness severity (mild, moderate, and severe). Results confirm that uninsured adults are considerably less likely to receive mental health treatment compared to those with insurance. Several governmental safety-net policies have been implemented in order to control for discrepancies in the form of healthcare accessibility among underprivileged groups. However, this study reveals there is still a high percentage of uninsured individuals going without treatment. Findings contribute to the understanding of inequality by revealing the ways in which insurance mediates the mental healthcare market, leaving the uninsured population at the greatest risk for receiving no treatment.
dc.description.departmentSociology
dc.formatText
dc.format.extent67 pages
dc.format.medium1 file (.pdf)
dc.identifier.citationHeinen, J. M. (2014). <i>The relationship between insurance coverage and mental illness treatment</i> (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/5269
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectMental illness
dc.subjectMental health
dc.subjectSociology
dc.subjectInsurance
dc.subjectMental illness treatment
dc.subjectMental health treatment
dc.subjectTreatment
dc.subjectUninsured
dc.subjectPsychotropic drugs
dc.subject.lcshMental illnessen_US
dc.subject.lcshMental health insuranceen_US
dc.subject.lcshHealth insuranceen_US
dc.titleThe Relationship Between Insurance Coverage and Mental Illness Treatment
dc.typeThesis
thesis.degree.departmentSociology
thesis.degree.disciplineSociology
thesis.degree.grantorTexas State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
HEINEN-THESIS-2014.pdf
Size:
344.52 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
LICENSE.txt
Size:
2.12 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Graduate Theses and Dissertations