Addiction treatment afflicted with Baumol’s cost disease

~ Jason Schwartz
I’d never heard of this guy or “Baumol’s cost disease”, but it makes a lot of sense and is has difficult implications for the future of of addiction treatment, particularly for providers that serve indigent populations or focus on offering affordable care.
Update: I got a few questions about this. The implication for programs is that, because there is little or no chance for gains in efficiency, programs must make more money every year just to maintain the status quo. Prices are just about the only lever that programs have.
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Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.