The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Pretrial System: A "Front Door" to Health and Safety

"The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides an historic opportunity for millions of low-income individuals to obtain insurance coverage for their physical and behavioral health care needs. For the last several years, diverse behavioral health advocates, health care providers and community-based prevention organizations, have worked to understand the implications of the ACA on the justice-involved population. Much of the conversation has been centered on the disproportionately high rates of physical and behavioral health care needs amongst this previously uninsured population ... Access to treatment services through the ACA at pretrial decision points creates a notable opportunity to interrupt the cycle of crime exacerbated by chronic physical and behavioral health issues" (p. 1). This publication provides a general idea of what the ACA entails and explains how it can be used with pretrial detainees. Sections contained in this document include: an overview of the ACA; the major opportunities it can provide for pretrial justice; ACA as the front door to coverage; and a call to action for pretrial services-actively represent pretrial in collaborative planning efforts, develop a plan for screening and enrollment, and begin addressing larger policy questions.