Medical expenses of patients with severe mental disorders in Beijing, China

Mental health has become a significant public health problem that impacts both economic and social development, with severe mental disorders (SMDs) being the top priority. Over recent years, Beijing, China, has introduced several policies to reduce the economic burden on patients with mental health disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the current status and composition of patients' medical expenses following the introduction of multiple medical policies, explore the factors that may impact the utilisation of medical services and provide a reference and basis for subsequent policy improvements.

Multistage sampling was used to select a representative study population. A retrospective survey was used to collect patient information and data on medical expenses in 2019.

Descriptive statistics were applied to analyse the current status of patients' medical expenses, and a two-part model was used to examine the factors influencing healthcare utilisation and to model predicted expenses.

Among 4940 participants, the average outpatient expenses of patients with SMD who incurred medical expenses were 8373.61 Yuan, and the average hospitalisation expenses were 81,594.05 Yuan. The out-of-pocket expenses were 29.22% of outpatient expenses and 8.13% of inpatient expenses. Factors such as age, household status, economic status, marital status, participation in the Community Free-Medication Service (CFMS) and the type of disease diagnosed influenced the differences in medical expenses and utilisation of services.

The medical expenses of patients with SMD in Beijing are high, but a number of introduced policies have effectively reduced these costs for patients. Future studies should focus on the impact of factors such as age, economic status, participation in the CFMS and the type of disease diagnosed on medical expenses.