As Access to Healthcare Increases, So Does the Number of Reported Users

Since the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health care industry has seen a vast shift in trends and how the healthcare industry operates. The industry itself was already growing and changing before ACA. The move to electronic health records systems has been vital in order to ensure quick and efficient patient care, but many private practices have yet to decide how they will store their medical records in the future. Innovative technology, such as wearable tech (Google Glass) being used during surgery, made huge waves in the health field. These are just a few of the changes the healthcare field experiences annually. Now the industry is seeing a drastic need for mental health and addiction treatments. Why?

While the jury is still out on whether the current generation of young adults is healthier than previous generations, it is clear that after the passing of ACA, more young adults were able to get the services they need, particularly for substance abuse disorders. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2012, of 22 million Americans classified with substance abuse disorders, only 2.5 million of them received the necessary help. Not only has the number of individuals in need of addiction services increased, but ACA required the coverage of addiction and mental health treatment by all insurers, effectively increasing the amount of money being spent on addiction services. Now that the services many young adults need are covered under insurance, it will only be a matter of time before the demand for mental health services is greater than the supply of qualified treatments.

Furthermore, recent developments in the field of mental health and addiction discuss the impact of the number of individuals receiving treatment. A Duke University research team concluded that children from troubled homes and children that carried a particular gene were more likely to have addiction and psychological issues as an adult than children who did not carry said gene. Additionally, their results proved that 75 percent of participants who did not seek out help had substance or alcohol abuse or psychological difficulties by the time they turned 25 years of age. Overall, a common trend involving individuals with mental health issues is that treatment is not seeked until there is a crisis or event. Now that healthcare is available, more and more people that reach a crisis point will have access to receiving the help they need to overcome their mental health disorder.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next several years and how the health industry adapts to such a trend should it continue. After the insurgence of young adults covered by health insurance and the increased access of addiction services (courtesy of ACA), there have been rising numbers of individuals reported to have mental health and addiction issues. One thing that is clear though, is that the health industry changes and evolves continually, and any further developments in the mental health field and addiction treatments will be greatly appreciated by an ever increasing community with substance abuse or psychological needs.