Availability of Payment Assistance for Mental Health Services in U.S. Mental Health Treatment Facilities

A substantial proportion of adults and adolescents experience mild to severe mental health symptoms in the past year, but a large proportion of those individuals do not receive treatment. One of the main reasons they say they do not receive treatment is because the services are too expensive. This short report uses data from the 2010 National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS) to examine the numbers of mental health treatment facilities that offer payment assistance. The report finds that most mental health treatment facilities offered some form of payment assistance, either by using a sliding-fee scale or by offering services at no charge to those who cannot afford to pay. These findings are discussed in light of health care reform that may increase the affordability of mental health treatment services.

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  "009:30"
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  "009:061"
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  "SAMHSA"
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