title: Full immersion in the mainstream: how years of promise for mental health and substance use disorders came to fruition with the Affordable Care Act.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: a Magna Systems, Inc. , Largo , Maryland , USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Emmet
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Judy L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stange
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000266:history* / Q000458:organization & administration; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000266:history*; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Q000266:history*; D011057:Politics; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States
keywords: advocacy; health care; mental health; mental health recovery; mental illness; peers; policy; policy practice; professional organizations; recovery; serious mental illness; substance abuse