Healthcare Policy and Politics

Healthcare Policy and Politics
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Healthcare Policy and Politics
Indulgence in policymaking creates a platform to instill notable impacts in the lives of individuals. Policymakers are tasked with assessing the needs of the people and delivering on what the people require most. In the US, health remains a vital element of the policymaking process. Multiple laws have been passed and a lot more are discussed to create a healthy nation. For a long time, nurses and other healthcare professionals dissociated their inputs with political and policy activities. In contemporary clinical settings, however, nurses are finding it necessary to participate in various political and policymaking processes that bear significant impacts on healthcare. This paper assesses the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021 based on its key elements including proponents and opposition, its protracted impacts in healthcare, and the stakeholders that the bill is poised to affect upon its approval through a presidential assent. 
Legislation Grid
Health-related Bill Name
Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021Bill NumberH.R. 721DescriptionThe Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021 is a bill that seeks to amend the Public Health Act to accommodate the provision of mental health services to learners in public schools. The bill proposes that public schools should be enabled financially by the federal and state governments to allow for the establishment of on-site mental health services for learners. The proponents of the bill insist that the number of children affected by mental health conditions keeps rising and the cost of counseling is low if assessed in the long-term. The act will provide $200 million in competitive grants up to $2 million each. The program will employ the Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience Education (AWARE) to employ licensed mental health professionals in public schools. The bill also proposes funding to be conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA will set the guidelines on how the programs will be assessed and their viability established within a defined time frame.
Federal or State?FederalLegislative IntentThis legislation intends to revitalize the increasing cases of mental illnesses among children aged 6-17. One in 6 children aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder. Also, 49.4% of the children with mental disorders do not receive the required treatment. Further, approximately 75% of children who are incarcerated in the juvenile justice system meet the criteria for mental illnesses (Xing, 2020). The data above indicate the amount of negligence with which the mental health of children has been treated in the US. If the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021 is ratified, it will create a platform to address the challenges linked to mental health issues in children including drug abuse, suicides, violence, and missed opportunities in life. The bill intends to create an ideal learning platform for all American children.
Proponents/ OpponentsProponents:
The Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021 was proposed by Grace Napolitano, the representative of the ...