The decline in receipt of substance abuse treatment by the privately insured, 1992-2001.

This study examines underlying trends in substance abuse services financed by private insurance. Analyses are based on the 1992 and 2001 Medstat MarketScan database, a claims database from large employers. The percentage of beneficiaries using any substance abuse services declined by 23 percent from 1992 to 2001 (from 0.64 percent of enrollees to 0.49 percent of enrollees). This decline was evident in all categories: inpatient, outpatient, and pharmaceutical usage. Substance abuse spending per covered life (in constant dollars) dropped from about $21.16 in 1992 to about $5.58 in 2001 [corrected]