How the affordable care act and mental health parity and addiction equity act greatly expand coverage of behavioral health care.

Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9803531 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1556-3308 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10943412 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Behav Health Serv Res Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2006- : New York, NY : Springer
Original Publication: Northbrook, IL : Thousand Oaks, CA : Association of Behavioral Healthcare Management ; Sage Publications, c1998-

Health Services Accessibility/*legislation & jurisprudence ; Medicaid/*legislation & jurisprudence ; Mental Health Services/*legislation & jurisprudence ; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act/*standards ; Preventive Health Services/*legislation & jurisprudence ; Substance-Related Disorders/*rehabilitation; Adult ; Health Insurance Exchanges/economics ; Health Insurance Exchanges/legislation & jurisprudence ; Health Services Accessibility/economics ; Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Insurance Benefits/economics ; Insurance Benefits/legislation & jurisprudence ; Insurance Coverage/economics ; Insurance Coverage/legislation & jurisprudence ; Insurance Coverage/statistics & numerical data ; Medicaid/economics ; Medicaid/statistics & numerical data ; Mental Disorders/economics ; Mental Disorders/therapy ; Mental Health Services/economics ; Mental Health Services/supply & distribution ; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act/economics ; Preexisting Condition Coverage/economics ; Preexisting Condition Coverage/legislation & jurisprudence ; Preexisting Condition Coverage/statistics & numerical data ; Preventive Health Services/economics ; Substance-Related Disorders/economics ; Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology ; United States/epidemiology ; Young Adult

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will expand coverage of mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protections to over 60 million Americans. The key to this expansion is the essential health benefit provision in the ACA that requires coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services at parity with general medical benefits. Other ACA provisions that should improve access to treatment include requirements on network adequacy, dependent coverage up to age 26, preventive services, and prohibitions on annual and lifetime limits and preexisting exclusions. The ACA offers states flexibility in expanding Medicaid (primarily to childless adults, not generally eligible previously) to cover supportive services needed by those with significant behavioral health conditions in addition to basic benefits at parity. Through these various new requirements, the ACA in conjunction with Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) will expand coverage of behavioral health care by historic proportions.

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Date Created: 20140517 Date Completed: 20151016 Latest Revision: 20211021

20240829

10.1007/s11414-014-9412-0

24833486