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Article: Mental health cuts could bring quick savings, long-term regrets.(News)
- Article from:
- Business Insurance
- Article date:
- January 20, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: MICHAEL PRINCE
Employers may be tempted to rein in rising health care costs by trimming mental health benefits, but experts warn that cuts that save money in the short term could cost employers much more in the future.
Benefit consultants note that a traditional way to trim mental health benefits has been to redesign the plans so employees pay higher copayments. Some employers have also cut the overall number of visits covered by their plans or eliminated the benefit outright, the consultants say.
``Many employers have either chosen to not cover mental health benefits or to reduce them significantly,'' said Ruth Donahue, director of ...