RESUMO
Most Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) beneficiaries must complete a 5-month waiting period before they become entitled to DI cash benefits and an additional 24-month waiting period before Medicare benefits begin. The Accelerated Benefits (AB) demonstration is a randomized experiment designed to test the effects of providing newly entitled DI beneficiaries who do not have health insurance with a generous health benefits package during the Medicare waiting period. This article presents early findings on the prevalence of health insurance coverage among newly entitled beneficiaries and the characteristics of those without health insurance. It also examines the effects of AB on health care utilization, the extent to which AB reduces unmet medical needs, and the costs of providing the AB health benefits package.
Assuntos
Pessoas com Deficiência , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde/economia , Seguro por Deficiência , Pessoas sem Cobertura de Seguro de Saúde , Medicare/economia , Previdência Social , Adolescente , Adulto , Emprego , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Projetos Piloto , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Fatores de Tempo , Estados Unidos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries with primary psychiatric impairments comprise the largest, fastest growing, and most costly population in the SSDI program. The Mental Health Treatment Study provides a comprehensive test of the hypothesis that access to evidence-based employment services and behavioral health treatments, along with insurance coverage, can enable SSDI beneficiaries with psychiatric impairments to return to competitive employment. It will also examine which beneficiaries choose to enter an employment study under such conditions. Currently in the field in 22 cities across the U.S., the MHTS aims to recruit 3,000 SSDI beneficiaries with psychiatric impairments into a randomized controlled trial. This paper describes the MHTS, its background, and its process and outcome assessments.
