Effects of the Vermont Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Law

Table C.9: Determinants of Average Health Plan Payments for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services per User per Quarter: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, 1996-1999

  Log of Health Plan Payments per Mental Health Service User Log of Health Plan Payments per Substance Abuse Service User
Intercept 4.918***
(0.028
5.678***
(0.114)
Age (40 and over omitted)    
   18 and under 0.065***
(0.022)
-0.277***
(0.096)
   19 to 29 0.034
(0.027)
-0.132
(0.087)
   30 to 39 0.071***
(0.017)
-0.144**
(0.066)
Gender (Female omitted) -0.022
(0.015)
-0.139**
(0.066)
Subscriber Status (Dependent omitted) 0.046*** -0.096
County (Chittenden omitted)    
   Addison 0.058*
(0.030)
0.101
(0.137)
   Bennington 0.024
(0.027)
-0.263**
(0.112)
   Caledonia/Essex/Orleans -0.213***
(0.028)
-0.171*
(0.095)
   Franklin/Grand Isle -0.113***
(0.035)
-0.246*
(0.137)
   Lamoille -0.004
(0.037)
0.152
(0.168)
   Orange -0.165***
(0.037)
-0.239*
(0.144)
   Rutland -0.095***
(0.028)
0.065
(0.111)
   Washington -0.011
(0.023)
-0.218**
(0.093)
   Windham/Windsor -0.058***
(0.021)
0.015
(0.090)
Diagnosis    
   Major Depression/Bipolar Disorder/Schozophrenia 0.251***
(0.019)
--
   Mild/Moderate Depression 0.300***
(0.017)
--
   Adjustment Reaction 0.262***
(0.016)
--
   Dual Diagnosis (MH/SA) 0.245***
(0.056)
0.323***
(0.065)
Line of Business (VFP Omitted)    
   Basic 0.140***
(0.019)
0.136*
(0.075)
   Comp 0.213***
(0.016)
0.178***
(0.068)
Quarter 0.002
(0.003)
0.018*
(0.009)
Managed Care for MH/SA (1 = yes) -0.350***
(0.022)
-0.275***
(0.094)
Parity (1 = yes) 0.171***
(0.026)
-0.202**
(0.103)
R-Square 0.043 0.056
F 51.15*** 5.720***
N 26,055 1,944
Dependent Variable Mean 5.289 5.49
Sources: Original analysis of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont claims/encounter data by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
   
* Significantly different from zero at the .10 level, two-tailed test.
** Significantly different from zero at the .05 level, two-tailed test.
*** Significantly different from zero at the .01 level, two-tailed test.
   
MH/SA = mental health/substance abuse; VFP = Vermont Freedom Plan.

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