Are Mental Health Insurance Mandates Effective? Evidence from Suicides

Jonathan Klick () and Sara Markowitz

No 9994, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Many states have passed laws mandating insurance companies to provide or offer some form of mental health benefits. These laws presumably lower the price of obtaining mental health services for many adults, and as a result, might improve health outcomes. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of mental health insurance mandates by examining the influence of mandates on adult suicides, which are strongly correlated with mental illness. Data on completed suicides in each state for the period 1981-2000 are analyzed. Ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares results show that mental health mandates are not effective in reducing suicide rates.

JEL-codes: I0 K0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-hea and nep-law
Note: EH
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published as Jonathan Klick & Sara Markowitz, 2006. "Are mental health insurance mandates effective? Evidence from suicides," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(1), pages 83-97.

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