Characteristics of patients with substance use disorder before and after the Affordable Care Act

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)(U.S. Congress, 2010) significantly expanded insurance coverage choices for patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Building on the legacy of parity legislation, which required that treatment for SUDs and other psychiatric conditions be covered on par with medical and surgical services (Abraham et al., 2017; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), the ACA mandated that SUD treatment be included as an “essential benefit” in the health benefit plans offered on the state and federal exchanges.
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Full length article Source Type: research