Special Studies of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Services

ARC has conducted a number of studies of the utilization and cost of "ADM" services, and applied the results of these studies to estimating the cost of both public and private health insurance programs. In particular, several studies have related directly to the impact of capitation and other managed care arrangements on the cost of insurance programs. As a result of these studies, ARC has compiled a data base from the experience of health insurers and HMOs in providing ADM benefits to employers in group insurance contracts. This data base has been used both to price private health insurance plans and to advise the Administration and various states concerning the impact on the cost of proposals to these services  under national or state health insurance plans. ARC has also analyzed the cost of ADM services provided through state Medicaid programs, both on a fee for service and managed care basis, and proposals to revise the limits on mental health in the Medicare program.

• Estimated national expenditures for alcoholism for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
• Study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse on evaluation of the costs and utilization of substance abuse treatment services in HMOs.
• Estimated the proportions of national health expenditures that are for alcoholism, drug abuse and mental health, to provide  control totals for national health insurance estimates for the Clinton National Health Insurance Task Force.
• Evaluated capacity of HMOs bidding on Medicaid managed care programs to control ADM services (for CMS, various states and  through GRTCA).
• Evaluated capacity of bidders for TRICARE/CHAMPUS MCS contracts to reduce expenditures for ADM services.