If healthcare reform continues according to current legislation, millions of Americans will see  their coverage expand to include treatment for  mental health and addiction services. In addition,  employees of small businesses would also receive  coverage to get the treatment they need. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 authorizes a three- year demonstration program to provide Medicaid coverage for adult patients in private psychiatric  hospitals who are experiencing emergency psychiatric  conditions. The program allows states to remove a Medicaid exclusion and provide payment to hospitals treating adult patients. The program will run from 2012 through 2014 in  11 states and the District of Columbia that were  selected to participate in the demonstration. UHS behavioral health facilities will participate in the demonstration program in seven of the 11 states,  resulting in adult Medicaid patients receiving the  care they need when they need it, in settings that are more efficient and cost-effective than acute care hospital emergency rooms.  UHS believes the regulations offer significant benefit for the one in five Americans who have  some form of mental illness, and has taken steps to help ensure that health plans comply with the law. UHS developed a tracking system that allows facilities to report health plans that do not comply with the law to the company so the  issues can be addressed with key policymakers  responsible for enforcing the legislation. While coverage for mental health treatment is increasing, the behavioral health industry is facing growing demand for accountability, with payment  rates linked to quality scores. Healthcare reform  laws require that quality measures be in place by  2013 for all inpatient psychiatric providers paid  under the Inpatient Psychiatric Prospective Payment  System (IPPPS). Hospitals that do not report these  measures will face reductions in Medicare reimbursement payments.  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 contains a number of changes that benefit  the behavioral health industry. Though many features of the bill are not scheduled to take effect  until 2014, some have already been implemented.  Parents may now keep children on their health insurance plans until the age of 26. Research suggests that many people see the first onset of  major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, in  their late teens to early 20s, so many young people  now have insurance coverage for psychiatric care at the earliest stages of their illness, when treatment is most critical. 2011 ANNUAL REPORT 15