On Thursday, June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a key component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — health insurance subsidies for eligible individuals in the 34 states with federally-operated health insurance exchanges — in deciding the case, King v. Burwell.
The ruling is a victory for the more than 6 million Americans now receiving subsidies; their health insurance coverage under ACA is preserved. It also represents a win for the APA Practice Organization (APAPO) and APA, which supported the law’s passage. Importantly, ACA requires coverage of mental health and substance use services and extends the parity requirements established under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
“If the Supreme Court had dealt a blow to ACA, Congress presumably would have been consumed by dealing with the fallout,” said Associate Executive Director for Government Relations Doug Walter, JD. Conversely, Walter observed, the high court ruling clears the way for the federal legislature to consider other aspects of health policy in the coming months, including APAPO’s priority of establishing independent practice authority for psychologists in all Medicare-covered treatment settings.
APA issued a press release lauding the Supreme Court decision.