ABSTRACT
Basic concerns of health policy closely followed the basic concerns of social policy and emphasized life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Personal health, illness, and disability were considered to be matters of individual concern and responsibility sanitation, care of indigent sick and quarantine laws were matters of governmental concern. Government influence in health continued to be marginal through the first half of the 19th Century despite the fact that the country generally experienced a great political and economic expansion. By establishing a number of principles of governmental responsibilities, Social Security Act set in motion many developments of far reaching consequences. The redistributive and regulatory reforms brought about by this law resulted in the federal government assuming a large share of the financial burden for both the provision of medical services and medical research. The success of government programs designed to improve sanitation, develop effective vaccines, and provide for mass immunizations drastically shifted the pattern of killing and disabling diseases.
