Private health insurance, mental health and service use in Australia

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dc.contributor.authorLeach, L. S.
dc.contributor.authorButterworth, Peter
dc.contributor.authorWhiteford, Harvey
dc.date.accessioned2015-03-05T22:49:06Z
dc.date.available2015-03-05T22:49:06Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.date.updated2015-12-08T02:58:26Z
dc.description.abstractOBJECTIVE: To report on the private health insurance (PHI) status of individuals with and without a mental health problem, and examine whether PHI status is associated with access to psychological services. METHODS: This is a descriptive study of nationally representative population-based data collected in 2009 (HILDA) with participants aged 15–93 (n = 13,301). Key measures included: PHI status (categorised as ‘hospital cover only’, ‘extras cover only’, or ‘both hospital and extras cover’); mental health status (categorised as ‘have a mental health problem’ or ‘do not have a mental health problem’ using the Mental Health Index (MHI) of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form); mental health service use (access to a mental health professional (psychologist/psychiatrist) in the past 12 months (categorised as ‘yes’ or ‘no’). RESULTS: Individuals with a mental health problem were less likely to have PHI than those without a mental health problem. However, PHI was not associated with access to a mental health professional in the past 12 months. Conclusions: The findings suggest that while the discrepancy in PHI status is a marker of inequity between those with and without a mental health problem, it is not a key factor in facilitating access to mental health services.
dc.description.sponsorshipP. B. is supported by NHMRC Population Health Career Development Award Fellowship No. 525410. This paper uses unit record data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Leach et al. 475 Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 46(5) Australia (HILDA) Survey. The HILDA Project was initiated and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and is managed by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (MIAESR). The findings and views reported in this paper, however, are those of the author and should not be attributed to either FaHCSIA or the MIAESR.en_AU
dc.identifier.issn0004-8674
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/12824
dc.publisherSage
dc.relationhttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/525410
dc.rights© The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2012
dc.sourceAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
dc.subjectAdolescent
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectAged
dc.subjectAged, 80 and over
dc.subjectAustralia
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectHealth Services Accessibility
dc.subjectHealth Surveys
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectInsurance, Health
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectMental Health
dc.subjectMental Health Services
dc.subjectMiddle Aged
dc.titlePrivate health insurance, mental health and service use in Australia
dc.typeJournal article
local.bibliographicCitation.issue5en_AU
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage475en_AU
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage468en_AU
local.contributor.affiliationButterworth, P, Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National Universityen_AU
local.contributor.affiliationLeach, L. S., Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National Universityen_AU
local.contributor.authoremailpeter.butterworth@anu.edu.auen_AU
local.contributor.authoruidu4047421en_AU
local.identifier.absfor111714 - Mental Health
local.identifier.absseo920209 - Mental Health Services
local.identifier.ariespublicationu5088582xPUB10
local.identifier.citationvolume46en_AU
local.identifier.doi10.1177/0004867411434713en_AU
local.identifier.essn1440-1614en_AU
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-84865292032
local.identifier.thomsonID000304181700010
local.identifier.uidSubmittedByu2560959en_AU
local.publisher.urlhttp://www.uk.sagepub.com/home.naven_AU
local.type.statusPublished versionen_AU

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