Full Immersion in the Mainstream: How Years of Promise for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Came to Fruition with the Affordable Care Act

• Published in: Journal of social work in disability & rehabilitation Vol. 13; no. 1-2; pp. 4 - 20
• Main Authors: Emmet, William, Morgan, Oscar, Stange, Judy L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis Group 01-01-2014
• Subjects: Advocacy; Delivery Systems; Health; health care; Health Care Services; Health Policy; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Law; Mental Disorders - therapy; Mental Health; mental health recovery; Mental Health Services - history; Mental Health Services - organization & administration; mental illness; Patient Advocacy - history; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - history; Patients; peers; policy; policy practice; Politics; professional organizations; Protection; recovery; serious mental illness; Substance Abuse; Substance-Related Disorders - therapy; United States; United States; mental health recovery; serious mental illness; policy practice; mental illness; mental health; advocacy; peers; recovery; professional organizations; substance abuse; health care; policy
• ISSN: 1536-710X; 1536-7118
• DOI: 10.1080/1536710X.2013.870513

With passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), the behavioral health community has achieved entry into the mainstream of U.S. health care. Passage of the law was the culmination of a long effort by advocates. At the same time, findings from research and practice have informed the nation's understanding that behavioral health is integral to health. The primary task before the behavioral health community now is to ensure that the advances of recent years are secured through implementation of the ACA and approaches to service delivery that emphasize integrated care.