ABSTRACT
To date there has been minimal participation of consumers/ survivors* in decisions involving the management of managed care organizations. Unlike departments of mental health, which are public entities, and often have significant consumer/survivor involvement, most managed care is directed by private companies which are obligated only to serve their customers. The recent trend toward contracting out Medicaid mental health and substance abuse services to managed care companies has blurred that public/private line. Consumer and family advocacy groups, which had previously focused on state mental health authorities to influence policy, are now aware that in many cases, the arena of decision making has moved to the
*I will use the term consumer/survivor or person first language for persons who have been labeled mentally ill. Most consumers prefer people first language such as “a person who is in recovery” or “people who have been labeled mentally ill.”
