The impact of the Affordable Care Act on behavioral health care for individuals from racial and ethnic communities.

The lack of health care insurance disproportionally affects individuals from racial and ethnic minority communities with chronic, yet in some instances, preventable health conditions. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will provide insurance coverage to an additional 32 million Americans not currently insured. More than half of these additional insured include racial and ethnic minorities. The ACA not only reduces financial barriers to health care, but also improves access to quality behavioral health care for all. This article describes the benefits and impact of the ACA on individuals from racial and ethnic communities.