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APA responds to recent King v. Burwell ruling

Following the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on King v. Burwell, the American Psychiatric Association expressed continued support for the Affordable Care Act.

“We are pleased that the Supreme Court upheld subsidies for more than 6 million people,” Renée Binder, MD, president of the APA, said in a press release. “Today’s decision means these Americans will continue to receive vital mental health benefits as guaranteed by the ACA. As the physician experts and leaders in mental health treatment, we know there can be no health care without mental health care. The King v. Burwell ruling ensures that millions of Americans will continue to have access to these critical services.”

Renée Binder

The ACA requires all health care plans sold through insurance exchanges to provide coverage for mental illness and substance use disorders that is equivalent to other medical and surgical benefits. This and other ACA provisions have increased access to mental health treatment and ensured better care for patients with mental illnesses.

Saul Levin

“We will continue to work with Congress, the administration and the medical community to ensure that mental illness and substance use disorders are treated the same as other illnesses as outlined in the ACA,” Saul Levin, MD, MPA, CEO and medical director of the APA, said in the release.