Affordable Care Act protects mental health access

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. People struggling with issues related to mental health might be in your family, live next door, teach your children or work in the next cubicle. Or perhaps you are the one struggling.

The Affordable Care Act serves to protect health care for behavioral health, the umbrella which covers mental health and substance abuse. Before the ACA, insurance carriers were allowed to charge increased premiums or not offer coverage at all.

The World Health Organization correlates some occurrences of poor behavioral health with poverty. The Medicaid expansion assists poor individuals with access to health care.

A large amount of these gains would be lost with a repeal of the Affordable Health Act and the loss of provisions for those who struggle without appropriate insurance coverage for mental health.

Helane Golden

Cedar Rapids