PRIVATE-SECTOR COVERAGE OF PEOPLE WITH DUAL DIAGNOSES

In general, people with dual diagnoses account for a significant propo rtion of both the mental health and substance abuse populations. Most published information on dual diagnosis comes from research on selecte d treatment programs that are largely funded from public sources. This analysis uses private health insurance claims and eligibility files f or 1989 to 1991 for three large firms to identify individuals with bot h substance abuse and mental health claims and to examine their charac teristics, charges, and utilization. More than half of people with dua l diagnoses incurred significant charges over three years in both ment al health and substance abuse. These individuals with high mental heal th charges were more likely to be male than were patients with mental health claims alone; they were less likely to be male than were patien ts with claims for substance abuse and no mental health services. They were also significantly younger than were patients with substance abu se or mental health utilization only for two of the firms. The average charges for people with dual diagnoses were higher than those for pat ients with substance abuse or mental health claims only.