Commercially insured patients paid an average of $1,300 out of pocket for a mental health admission and $1,400 for a substance use admission, while total inpatient costs averaged $15,900 and $15,500, respectively, according to a KFF analysis.
The analysis used claims data from the 2023 Merative MarketScan Commercial claims database to examine inpatient admissions for mental health and substance use treatment among commercially insured patients. Inpatient treatment included services requiring an overnight stay, such as acute inpatient psychiatric care, substance use hospitalization, residential care, rehabilitation and detoxification. Emergency department visits that did not result in an inpatient admission were excluded.
Here are five things to know:
- Mental health and substance use treatment accounted for 10% of commercial inpatient stays in 2023, or 32 per 10,000 enrollees. Of those stays, 54% were for a primary mental health diagnosis and 46% were for substance use disorder.
- Depression was the most common mental health diagnosis, representing 45% of admissions, with an average total cost of $13,100 per admission. Alcohol use disorder was the most common substance use diagnosis, accounting for 74% of admissions, with an average cost of $15,900.
- Most patients had a single inpatient stay during the calendar year, including 82% of those receiving mental health treatment and 65% of those receiving substance use treatment.
- Two-thirds (66%) of inpatient mental health admissions included time in the emergency department, compared with 32% of substance use admissions.
- Mental health inpatient treatment most often occurred in psychiatric units within general acute care hospitals, which were involved in 89% of visits. Substance use treatment was more varied, with 50% of visits including time in a detoxification facility, 32% in a non-psychiatric hospital setting and 30% in a residential treatment facility.
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