Thursday, October 09, 2003

Mental health: emerging issues
The index page for the latest issue of Health Affairs, which focuses on issues related to mental health and mental health systems. See the following three postings below for links to free, full text versions of articles appearing in this issue. For other articles, abstracts are available at no charge, with full text copies of individual articles available for a fee. Single issues of Health Affairs can also be purchased at a cost of $35/each (the current issue is Vol. 22, No. 5, September/October 2003). Abstracts for other articles of interest to PULSE readers include - Is Prevalence A Good Measure Of Need For Services?; The Role Of Public Policies In Reducing Mental Health Status Disparities For People Of Color; Trends And Issues In Child And Adolescent Mental Health; Developing A Medicare Prospective Payment System For Inpatient Psychiatric Care; 'How Do You Pay Your Rent?' Social Policies And The President's Mental Health Commission, The 'Quiet' Crisis In Mental Health Services (a commentary piece), and The Impact Of State Managed Care Liability Statutes.  
  

Accomplishments and Challenges in Medicaid Mental Health
Health Affairs article available in full text through Medscape - "Diane Rowland and her colleagues at the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured detail the competing pressures states face to provide coverage and appropriate care within an environment of reduced resources. Cost containment strategies could well jeopardize the care of a vulnerable segment of the population, threatening to undermine the progress achieved in part through effective but costly drug therapies." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].