Healthcare Policy Mental Health

There are a multitude of aspects of healthcare policy that are of crucial importance to American society. One such policy relates to the issue of mental healthy – it is the Mental Health Parity Act. Signed in 1996, the act sets and mandates monetary limits on mental health benefits to be greater than the dollar limit imposed for medical and surgical benefits “offered by a group health plan or health insurance issuer offering coverage” (United States Department of Labor, 2008). The act recognizes the ills of mental disorders as similar to that of other physical illnesses.

Because the United States comprises of many states, there are different applications and policies of the Mental Health Parity Act. For instance, comprehensive parity mandates full coverage of mental disorders, inclusive of substance abuse related issues and does not exclude any significant policy groups. Broad-based parity makes the same provision but with certain predefined exclusions and limits. Healthcare Policy Mental Health