Psychology's role in a national health program.

Despite APA's virulent opposition to managed care, the reality is that with the forthcoming universal health coverage, managed care in some form is going to be central to whatever specific plan is adopted. The American Psychological Association has done the profession a great disservice by its unrelenting attacks on managed care. During the years that psychology could have played a role in shaping managed care, APA has sat on the sidelines simply carping at these new developments in the health care marketplace. Psychologists must recognize the reality of these changes and adapt to them, or we will find ourselves in the next 5 to 10 years in a health profession that time has passed by.