d in helping with mental disorders. This has made it more possible for people to quickly return to work and lead more normal lives. In March of 1998, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued a report on the cost of mental health parity. The report stated that most employers are not becoming self-insured and do not intend to shift additional costs to their employees. These were two of the biggest fears of managed care organizations and some consumers. In fact, lower costs and lower premiums were reports the first year of parity. The study also found that full parity for mental health and substance abuse would increase premiums 3.6 percent, not the 4.2 percent to 11.4 percent that had been estimated earlier. Some state examples of how mental health parity has affected costs are Maryland and Texas. According to studies, Maryland saw a .2 percent decrease after full parity was implemented and Texas saw a 47.9 percent decrease in cost for state employees enrolled in its managed care plan under parity. Children’s Mental Health It is estimated that between 7.7 million and 12.8 million young people has mental health problems. These problems, often called disorders, can include depression, ADHD, anxiety, conduct and eating disorders. It is also estimated the 6 million young people have serious emotional disturbances. This term is used to refer to children who have the afore mentioned disorders, in which the disorder interferes with the daily functioning socially, academically, and emotionally. Anxiety disorders are the most common of childhood disorders, affecting 8-10 of every 100 children and adolescents. Major depression is the second most likely disorder, striking up to 6 out of 100 children. The other statistics are staggering. According to the Action Alliance for Children, 70 to 80 percent of children under the age of 18 do not receive mental health services, 100,000 children receive residen...
