Are Mental Health Insurance Mandates Effective? Evidence from Suicides

35 Pages Posted: 28 Sep 2003 Last revised: 24 Apr 2022

See all articles by Jonathan Klick

Jonathan Klick

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School; Erasmus School of Law; PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

Sara Markowitz

Emory University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: September 2003

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.

Suggested Citation

Klick, Jonathan and Markowitz, Sara, Are Mental Health Insurance Mandates Effective? Evidence from Suicides (September 2003). NBER Working Paper No. w9994, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=450895

Jonathan Klick

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School ( email )

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Erasmus School of Law ( email )

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PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

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Sara Markowitz (Contact Author)

Emory University ( email )

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United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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