Health Insurance Coverage Among Persons With Schizophrenia in the United States

Objective: This study estimated the rates of health insurance coverage in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population with schizophrenia and assessed whether basic access to health care varied across health insurance categories. Methods: Data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey collected between 2002 and 2006 were used. Results: The sample contained 328 records representing 493,006 noninstitutionalized civilian persons with schizophrenia. Eighty-seven percent had Medicaid or Medicare, 8% received care through the Veterans Health Administration, and 15% had private insurance for at least one day during the year. About 7% were uninsured all of the year. The uninsured tended to be male (92%), nonwhite (54%), and unmarried (97%), and 30% of the uninsured had not had a medical checkup in more than five years. Conclusions: Almost all U.S. adults with schizophrenia were found to receive government health insurance, yet a measurable minority remained uninsured. These national estimates highlight opportunities for improving health service delivery for this vulnerable population. (Psychiatric Services 61:830-834, 2010)