Psychiatric Insurance-Ten Years Later

Ten years after the Group Health Insurance research project to determine the feasibility of insuring short-term ambulatory psychiatric treatment, the author describes the remarkable gains in mental health insurance in the interim. Progress has been along two contrasting lines—the "social" approach, emphasizing easy access to care with a minimal financial deterrent, and the "business" approach, with deductibles and co-insurance. Underlying some of the still unresolved problems, the author feels, is the basic schism in this country concerning how medical care should be provided and distributed.