Social Policies Affecting Mental Health

Social policy refers to guidelines and regulations that affect the living conditions necessary for human welfare. It is included in public policy; however, it primarily affects social issues such as administration and policy of social services, health, housing, income, disability, family, poverty, education, social work policies and delivery of welfare (Hernandez, 2011). Policies regarding health, especially mental health, have been under the spotlight recently. The number of mentally ill patients in America has been rising over the years. Mental illness has financially crippled domestic households in the U.S. because previously, the law did not effectively cover such issues. Patients were unable to receive proper healthcare services and insurance as the cost of treating such diseases was high. However, the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act gave many Americans social welfare in the form of insurance and healthcare. Senator John Cornyn, when asked about the bill on January 9th 2010, said, “Democrats Have Final Opportunity To Include The American People In Historic Health Care Debate” (GovT., 2019). The bill reduced the costs of treating diseases such mental illness for many Americans. The paper discusses the implications of the PPACA of 2010 as a social welfare policy influencing mental healthcare.