This brief report from 2001 examines the role of state and local government in financing mental health care.  The report notes the increasing role played by Medicaid, which went from paying for slightly more than 33 percent of mental health services in 1987 to 50 percent of such services in 1997. 

The full report is available from SAMHSA here: http://download.ncadi.samhsa.gov/ken/pdf/ManagedCare/01ps1294.pdf 

Citation: Buck, J. A. (2001). Spending for state mental health care. Psychiatric Services, 52(10), 1294.

This paper presents 1996 expenditures for M/SU treatment by payer and type of service, trends in M/SU expenditures from 1986 through 1996, and comparisons with overall health care spending. 

The full paper is available on the Health Affairs website: http://download.ncadi.samhsa.gov/ken/pdf/ManagedCare/mckusk.pdf

Citation: McKusick, D., Mark, T. L., & King, E. et al. (1998). Spending for mental health and substance abuse treatment, 1996. Health Affairs, 17(5), 147-157.

Published in 2002, this report presents a set of 1995 Medicaid prescription psychoactive drug statistical tables for the non-elderly population, based on Medicaid data that States submit to the CMS. These statistics are presented in a uniform set of tables for each of 10 selected States, plus a set of tables that aggregates data across all 10 States. The tables provide a range of information on users, drug claims, and expenditures for each State. The fundamental purpose is to provide policy makers, interest groups, and others with basic information on prescription psychoactive drug use in Medicaid, and associated trends.

The tables are available from SAMHSA here: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/SMA02-3712/default.asp

In 2007, U.S. health care spending growth increased 6.1 percent, the lowest rate of growth since 1998.  The study attributes the slower growth to retail prescription drug spending an government administration. 

Hartman, M., Martin, A., & McDonnell, P. (2009). National health spending in 2007: slower drug spending growth contributes to lowest rate of overall growth since 1998. Health Affairs, 28(1), 246-261. DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.1.246 http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/1/246 

Authors: Micah Hartman, Anne Martin, Patricia McDonnell, Aaron Catlin.

A report by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine says that mental health and substance abuse disorders among young adults cost the United States and estimated $247 billion annually. The report estimates that 14 to 20 percent of youth experience behavioral health conditions and suggests that the White House create an entity to coordinate agency initiatives to utilize effective prevention programs.

Full Report: Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities

From statehealthfacts.org:

The most recent data on total state spending from the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) are now available for state fiscal year (SFY) 2007. SFY 2007 data are also available for per capita spending and the distribution of general fund spending, including Medicaid’s share of general fund spending.

Data available at: State Budgets