Introduction
Research and analysis of health care among individuals indicate that most of the people found in correctional institutions come across numerous challenges in getting the health, as well as behavioral health care attention that they require while within such situations (Beronio, Po, Skopec, & Glied, 2013). According to a report released in 2010, most of the men in major prisons in the United States of America did not have any form of health insurance cover (Phillips, 2012). Lack of insurance cover for such people is attributable to the fact that most people are experiencing high unemployment rates. Lack of employment limits individuals from accessing health insurance plans organized by employers, as well as denying them the ability to subscribe to private health insurance. As such, people who are unemployed experience difficulties in paying the costs of health insurance. In addition, the Medicaid eligibility criterion in the United States of America is narrow making it hard for all people to get health care insurance cover (Garfield, Lave, & Donohue, 2010). Such cases are also evident among people who have mental health illnesses or substance abuse.
Main discussion
The affordable Act of 2010 thus has the potential to help many people who do not have health insurance all over the United States of America. As far as mental health illness and substance abuse cases are concerned, there are several implications and options brought forth by the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Many people who previously did not enjoy the benefits of insurance cover are factored in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Phillips, 2012). The primary objective of the Act is to ensure national coverage of people, especially cases involving mental health and substance abuse use disorders. For example, Beronio et al. (2013) pointed out that the Act factors cases of mental health, as well as substance abuse in the Essential Health Benefits. The Affordable Care Act, therefore, requires the federal government to care full responsibility in terms of health care for people under the category of mental illness and substance abuse. Thus, the Act takes care of the people who come from correctional centers, as well as those who are in danger of being imprisoned.
Additionally, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 extends health care benefits by providing health care cover of mental health, as well as substance use disorders too numerous individuals in America and small group markets (Beronio et al., 2013). It does such by ensuring that the concerned individuals get federal parity protections. The Care Act considers all individuals who do not enjoy such benefits, as well as extend the parity requirements to apply to all individuals in the United States of America who do not have cover because the cover failed to meet the parity requirements. In general, the Affordable Care Act provides an expansion of the health coverage of mental health along with substance use disorders (Phillip, 2012). The coverage of mental health and substance abuse ought to be at par with other benefits such as surgical and medical.
Conclusion
From the preceding, it suffices that the Affordable Care Act of 2010 has had a lot of impacts as far as the provision of better health cover for disorders in mental health and substance use are concerned. Evidently, many Americans have access to reliable health care including cover for substance use disorders, as well as mental health disorders. Such coverage is possible through the provision of parity protection by the federal government as required by the Affordable Care Act of 2010.
References
Beronio, K., Po, R., Skopec, L., & Glied, S. (2013). Affordable Care Act expands mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protections for 62 million Americans. ASPE Research Brief, 1(1), 1-4.
Garfield, R., Lave, J., & Donohue, J. (2010). Health reform and the scope of benefits for mental health and substance use disorder services. Psychiatric Services, 61(11), 1081-1086.
Phillips, S. (2012). The Affordable Care Act: Implications for public safety and corrections populations. The Sentencing Project, 1-10.