Cost Constraints Force Many Mentally Ill Coloradans To Wait for Treatment

Many Colorado residents who require mental health services typically wait six to nine months before receiving care, a survey by the state has found, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports. According to the survey, about 30,000 Colorado children and 30,000 adults with mental illnesses are not receiving the treatment services they need. The News reports that many children who need mental health services come from families who are not eligible for Medicaid and cannot afford treatment, which can cost up to $3,000 annually. While mental health services for Medicaid beneficiaries are among the "best in the nation," people who do not qualify for benefits also have difficulty accessing services because of supply problems, the News reports. Directors of Colorado mental health programs say a new bidding process for state funds has "forced" them to cut costs, which is limiting care for non-Medicaid eligible populations. David Briggs, director of the Arapahoe-Douglas Mental Health Network, said, "I have to severely limit the number of indigent individuals I am able to see in my center just because I don't have very much money from the state to help subsidize the care of those individuals." This year, the state has budgeted $135 million for mental health services, both for Medicaid- and non-Medicaid-eligible patients. Gov. Bill Owens' (R) 2002 budget proposal includes an additional $1.2 million to provide mental health services to non-Medicaid-eligible people. However, advocates say that extra funding would be "just a start," adding that several funding "boosts" are needed to provide mental health treatment for non-Medicaid-eligible individuals. According to advocates, funding for mental health services will improve only when mental illness is viewed as a "serious societal and household problem," the News reports. Without additional funding, suicide and school dropout rates will increase, the advocates said (Scanlon, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 1/2).