Behavioral health inequalities are driving a wave of premature deaths, resulting in a huge strain on the U.S. health care system.

In fact, the cost of behavioral health-related premature deaths in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities was $278 billion between 2016 and 2020 alone. This is according to a new metadata analysis by Thatcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine (SHLI).

The analysis also found a total of 116,722 premature deaths related to mental and behavioral health among indigenous peoples and racial and ethnic minority groups during that period.

“Investing in mental health care saves lives and money. We’ve known this for decades, but we haven’t fully understood the tremendous impact of inaction. ,” said Daniel Dawes, Executive Director of SHLI, in a statement. “How decades of systemic health inequalities have had disastrous consequences for racially and ethnically minorized, marginalized and underresourced populations. For the first time, we have concrete evidence to show.”

In the black community, there were 57,887 behavioral health-related premature deaths between 2016 and 2020, the highest among minority communities surveyed. The total excess cost burden of premature mortality related to behavioral health was also the highest.

The Hispanic/Latino population is responsible for 46,555 premature behavioral health-related deaths. Excess costs attributable to these deaths were $114.5 billion. There were 12,248 premature behavioral health-related deaths among indigenous peoples, resulting in a total cost burden of $31.9 billion.

The researchers in the analysis said the sampling frame used in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and federal studies excluded about 6 million Americans in prisons, nursing homes, the homeless, active duty military, or psychiatric facilities. I pointed out that

According to researchers, the costs associated with mental illness and substance use disorders for incarcerated and non-incarcerated individuals are an additional $63 billion to $92 billion.

“Investments in mental and behavioral health infrastructure include multifaceted efforts to expand and retrain the behavioral health workforce to better meet the behavioral health needs of historically marginalized communities. A more flexible approach, expanded insurance coverage, and equality in both public and private insurance programs should be enforced, funded, and funded, payment reform, and service and care sites for the full continuum of behavioral health services. expansion,” the report explains.

The report’s authors called for long-term investment in behavioral health systems that support improved health equity. In addition, researchers seek socioculturally conditioned mental health and addressing the social determinants of health.