Headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACAP advocates on behalf of its community-affiliated member health plans operating throughout the United States.

ACAP's advocacy work focuses on representing publicly sponsored programs and health care providers who serve vulnerable populations.

[1] In the 1980s, as Medicaid managed care expanded across the county, safety net providers, such as Community Health Centers (CHCs) and public hospitals, feared that managed care would reduce reimbursements for Medicaid-eligible services, making it more difficult for them to provide care to the un- and under-insured, and result in a loss of Medicaid volume, as beneficiaries would choose to see other providers once given a choice.

In response to these concerns, community health centers in at least 16 states banded together to establish their own managed care organizations.

The name change to the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) reflected the new mission and membership.