The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), often referred to simply as the ACA, is a federal statute signed into law on March 23, 2010, designed to decrease the number of uninsured Americans, provide new protections for people who have health insurance, improve the health of Americans, and improve the efficiency and quality of health care delivery. The ACA requires insurance plans to provide minimum essential benefits, including mental health and substance use disorder services, as well as preventive services with no out-of-pocket costs