Mental Health Benefits in New Jersey State and Local Government

Abstract

Adequate mental health coverage is a key element of a comprehensive employee benefits package. The absence of adequate mental health coverage imposes significant costs on employees, their families, and our society as a whole and is a larger public health and safety issue. The focus of this study is to analyze mental health policies and coverage levels for New Jersey State government employees and a sample of New Jersey local governments. The results indicated an absence of parity between physical and mental health coverage for New Jersey state and local government employees. The most significant inequities include differential limits concerning the number of inpatient days and outpatient visits as well as patient contributions in terms of copay, coinsurance, and deductible provisions. A comprehensive mental health management model is proposed for adoption by state and local governments.