IU: Untreated mental illness costs Indiana $4.2B yearly
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Untreated mental illness costs Indiana about $4.2 billion annually, according to a new Indiana University study.
Researchers from the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health found the largest costs attributed to untreated mental illness were premature mortality at an estimated $1.4 billion, lost productivity at $885 million, and caregiving at $566 million.
Other factors adding to Indiana’s total include health care costs to Medicaid and private insurers, as well as incarceration and unemployment.
“These costs represent a significant public health and financial challenge for our state,” Heather Taylor, lead author and assistant professor, said in a news release. “When you measure this across the state, every year there is a loss of over $600 for every person, or nearly $1,600 per family. Untreated mental illness is a hugely consequential cost for Hoosiers.”
One in five Hoosiers with a mental illness don’t receive treatment for their condition, according to the study, opening them up to other chronic health conditions. Another IU study said two-thirds of Marion County residents with a serious mental illness did not receive necessary care last year, totaling about 26,000 people.
The researchers worked with the legislature’s Behavioral Health Commission, and their work was used to support last session’s Senate Bill 1, a mental health support and funding expansion bill. However, while seen as a step in the right direction, supporters said the amount was not enough to adequately treat the state’s mental health crisis.
“Our report is not meant to be a cost-effectiveness analysis,” Taylor said in the release. “Indiana will need to invest in mental health services to realize financial returns.”
They also gave recommendations to better serve Hoosiers and cut costs over time, including bolstering the mental health provider workforce, improving access and reducing other barriers like transportation.
The study was published Oct. 13 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. You can read it here.