Families USA Talking Points: Medicaid, Deficit Reduction and the “Super Committee”.  Also read NASW’s letter to the Super Committee.

With the health care debate now behind us, Capitol Hill and the Obama Administration have moved on to other things.  Issues of great significance include a pending Supreme Court nomination, fluctuating news on employment, and several Congressional primary races that will give shape to the November general election.  At this point in the year, many Members of Congress are focused on both a wide range of policy issues as well as their reelection prospects.

While Democrats are expected to suffer losses this year, experts widely disagree on the number (House seat estimates have ranged from 25 all the way to 60).  That said, it’s important to remember one thing about any election in which the minority party is trying to overwhelm the majority party: only in the summer and fall are the challengers truly tested, in both fundraising and campaigning.  Those Republican candidates trying to defeat entrenched Democrats will have to maintain a significant fundraising pace and avoid gaffes on the campaign trail.  Any error in either category could cost the GOP potential seats.

These remarks are not meant to be partisan in nature because the Democrats were in a similar position in 2006 as well as 2008.  In each of those years some Democratic challengers were unable to defeat Republican incumbents due to either lackluster fundraising, a disappointing campaign, or both.  At the same time, the Democrats won a significant number of seats in the House and the Senate, eventually taking over the majority.  The GOP is likely to repeat that pattern this year, enjoying a sizeable number of wins, but not necessarily as many as their most optimistic supporters would like.

Remembering Dr. Dorothy I. Height

NASW and the social work community were devastated by the loss of Dr. Dorothy I. Height on April 20, 2010. One of the world’s most important social workers, Dr. Height was a civil rights legend who spent a lifetime advocating for the rights of women and people of color. Dr. Height worked on five continents for four major national organizations during her lifetime. Dr. Height was the only female team member in the United Civil Rights Leadership which included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,  Whitney Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins and John Lewis. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1997, the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004, and was inducted into the Democracy Hall of Fame International. NASW was honored to award Dr. Height with the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The most comprehensive piece of federal legislation ever introduced to address social work workforce challenges was named after Dr. Height and fellow social worker Whitney Young. NASW Executive Director Dr. Elizabeth Clark penned a tribute to Dr. Height and discussed her support of the legislation bearing her name. Honor the legacy of Dr. Height today by contacting your Representative and Senators in support of this critical legislation.

NASW Joins Young Invincibles In Support of Early Dependent Coverage

NASW joined 65 state and national groups on a letter asking insurance companies to start dependent coverage early.  The letter was generated by Young Invincibles, a national youth advocacy group focused on health reform. 

An important provision in the health care law allows young adults to stay on their parent’s plan until their 26th birthday.  These early dependent coverage steps would apply to non-college youth (for example, a working 19 year old looking to go back on their parents’ plan) and to students on student plans that might be able to switch back to their parents’ plan post-graduation.  This provision of health care reform starts on September 23, but several insurance companies have decided to start the rule early.  With about 3.2 million students graduating from college in May, and 67% of those on their parents’ plan, early dependent coverage is critical.

The letter states, “The extension of dependent coverage to the age of 26 is one of several provisions that positively impacts young Americans; this provision alone will provide coverage to more than 2 million uninsured young adults. Taken together, the provisions in the health care reform law will guarantee that millions more young adults have access to quality, affordable insurance.”

Secretary Sebelius Speaks to LCAO

On May 5, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services gave a brief presentation to the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) regarding the recent health care law.  LCAO is a coalition of national not-for-profit organizations representing nearly 60 million older Americans.  During her remarks, Secretary Sebelius talked about the timeline for implementation of the law, including early implementation of dependent coverage and the early retiree provision.  She also encouraged LCAO members to continue to partner with the Administration on implementation strategies.  To learn more about the timeline for implementation for key provisions, please go here:

http://www.kff.org/healthreform/8060.cfm

In related news, NASW joined LCAO in a letter to congressional members thanking them for passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010.  The letter outlined important benefits for seniors contained in the law such as:

• strengthening Medicare’s guaranteed benefits,
• eliminating barriers to preventive care, extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund,
• shoring up retiree health coverage, and cracking down on insurance company abuses, such as denying affordable coverage because of age or health status.

In addition, the new law will also help Americans remain in their own homes as they age by establishing a new program to help pay for long-term services and supports and enhancing Medicaid’s role in providing this assistance.

Congress Reconsiders Medicare Rates

For the third time this year, Congress confronts a scheduled 21 percent cut in payment rates to Medicare practitioners who bill Part B independently, including physicians and clinical social workers. The political obstacle to congressional action remains the large cost of a long-term correction of the law governing rates, leading to correction bills that address the formula problem with only stopgap delays. The last short-term extension of the payment formula was adopted in April and delayed a decision on practitioner rates until May 31; see NASW’s last update here.

The payment formula was initially enacted in 1997 as part of the Balanced Budget Act, which capped the maximum growth in total Medicare Part B expenditures.  The formula treats all independent practitioners as a group, and if Medicare payment growth exceeds a target set in statute, rates are cut the following year to make up the difference. According to survey data from the AMA (here), physicians’ frustration with payment rates has reached a level that many are now reluctant to take on new Medicare patients.

This year, because Congress has adopted more stringent budget process rules, they have been unable to muster the votes necessary for a year-long extension. Instead they have fallen back on extension bills that endure for only a month or two that show a lower impact on spending. A recent Congressional Budget Office estimate placed the cost of a Medicare payment rate delay at $276 billion for the next decade.

Complicating matters for clinical social workers, changes in other components of the SGR have also affected their payments rates for 2010, including several regulatory actions taken by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). A briefing on these separate payment changes is available on NASW’s website here, check under the subtitle, “Reimbursement.”  Please have your membership information ready to log onto the page.

Congress Begins Annual Appropriations Process

Each year Congress makes funding decisions for a wide variety of domestic and international programs and activities that require an annual appropriations amount. Entitlement programs, such as Medicaid, SSI, Medicare and Social Security are not part of this process, but programs such as drug and alcohol prevention and treatments,HIV/AIDS and workforce development are key priorities under consideration. NASW is currently making visits to appropriations committee members, urging funding increases in areas such as social work workforce training and services for vulnerable populations.

President Obama Nominates Elena Kagan for Supreme Court Justice

Elena Kagan is currently the Solicitor General, the first woman in this post. As Solicitor General she represents the Administration before the Supreme Court. If she is confirmed by the Senate as a Supreme Court Justice, one-third of the court will be women, another first. Ms. Kagan would replace John Paul Stevens following his retirement. Ms. Kagan is widely regarded as one of the best legal minds of her generation. She was the first female dean of the Harvard Law School where she developed an atmosphere of openness to other viewpoints and consensus building.

Advocacy Blog Roundup

NASW Recognizes National Minority Cancer Awareness Week

Equal Pay

Support Incentive Payments for Clinical Social Workers in Medicare/Medicaid

Congress Remembers Dr. Dorothy I. Height

Advocacy Listserv Activity

In the month of April, 1,061 activists sent 1,419 advocacy messages to Congress through Capwiz. The most active alerts were about Incentive Payments for Clinical Social Workers in Medicare/Medicaid and the Employment Nondiscrimination Act.  Thanks to all of you who took the time to take action!  For more information, go to https://ssl.capwiz.com/socialworkers/issues/?style=D.

Action Requested

Contact your Representative today about signing on as a cosponsor to H.R. 5040, the “HIT Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act.”

Background

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) has introduced bi-partisan legislation along with Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), a clinical psychologist, called the Health Information Technology Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act of 2010 (H.R. 5040). The bill, introduced on April 15, 2010, would extend the new Medicare and Medicaid “meaningful use” incentive payments established under the HITECH Act within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to clinical social workers and other mental health and substance abuse providers and facilities.

ARRA provides $20 billion in incentives and grants to health care providers and hospitals to establish interoperable electronic health record (EHR) systems throughout the nation. Medicare and Medicaid ARRA payment incentives are available to most physicians, chiropractors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and hospitals.  However, Congress excluded from eligibility behavioral health providers, as well as most non-physician practitioners, because of cost concerns when the law was enacted in 2009. Among those providers who would be eligible for the payments under Rep. Kennedy’s H.R. 5040 are clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, psychiatric hospitals, substance use treatment facilities and mental health treatment facilities.

As enacted, ARRA establishes a vast national EHR system that excludes the electronic patient records of clinical social workers’ and other behavioral health providers. If the current law’s deficiency is not corrected, the behavioral health records of many consumers will likely remain in paper form and therefore less accessible to other health care providers. Nevertheless, there is a high risk that excluded providers would be compelled to use electronic health records systems to participate within commercial provider networks and to obtain EHR information from covered physicians and facilities. NASW is a supporter of strong patient privacy protections established within ARRA, and also believes that quality of care will likely be seriously compromised if the records of clinical social workers and other behavioral health providers remain excluded from developing EHR systems.

Details on H.R. 5040

NASW believes it is essential to integrate care delivered by clinical social workers with other behavioral health and medical providers, and this legislation will be an important priority for enactment. The Health Information Technology Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act would:

• Clarify the definition “health care provider” throughout the HITECH/ARRA Act to include clinical social workers and psychologists, substance abuse professionals, psychiatric hospital, behavioral and mental health clinics, and substance use treatment facilities.
• Establish grants for those mental health treatment facilities not eligible for meaningful use incentives through the HITECH/ARRA Act. The grants allow for purchasing certified EHRs, training medical staff in the use of EHRs, and improving the exchange of health information between mental health providers and other health care providers.

Extend Medicare and Medicaid payment incentives for meaningful use of EHRs to clinical social workers and psychologists, psychiatric hospitals, mental health treatment facilities, and substance abuse treatment facilities.

1. An increased Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for families making under $85,000 a year. The administration also plans to provide a $1.6 billion increase in child care funding to help an additional 235,000 children.

2. A decrease in students’ federal loan payments to 10% of their income, referring to the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) program, created by Congress in 2007. For more information about IBR or Public Service Loan Forgiveness, go to NASW’s loan forgiveness website at http://www.socialworkers.org/loanforgiveness/default.asp.

3. Creating a system of automatic workplace IRAs, requiring that employers give employees the option to enroll in a direct-deposit IRA.

4.Tax credits to match retirement savings and new safeguards to protect them.

5.Support for families balancing work with caring for elderly relatives, which is intended to help families manage multiple responsibilities and allow seniors to live in the community for as long as possible.

For more information about these initiatives or to review remarks by the President and Vice President at the Middle Class Task Force meeting, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/key-investments-middle-class-families.

]]> http://www.socialworkblog.org/advocacy/2010/01/the-administration%e2%80%99s-plan-for-middle-class-families/feed/ 0 http://www.socialworkblog.org/advocacy/2010/01/supreme-court-ruling-on-corporate-and-union-spending/ http://www.socialworkblog.org/advocacy/2010/01/supreme-court-ruling-on-corporate-and-union-spending/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:42:45 +0000 admin http://www.socialworkblog.org/advocacy/?p=338 On Thursday, January 21, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In essence, this decision holds that corporations and unions may spend money from their general funds on political and campaign activities. We are presently analyzing the impact of this decision on NASW and PACE, and will provide you with more information as soon as possible.

August 3, 2009

Edward M. Kennedy
Chair
Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Kennedy:

On behalf of the 150,000 members of the National Association of Social Workers, I am writing in support of the confirmation of Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Founded in 1955, NASW is the largest membership organization of social workers and seeks to enhance the well-being of individuals, families and communities through its work and advocacy.

Professional social workers have an important and growing presence at NIH.  This is not only through the provision of clinical services, but also due to a portfolio of research grants on psychosocial care, health disparities, family caregiving, and innovative, community-based health, mental health, and substance abuse intervention.

Dr. Collins’ lengthy career has focused on revolutionizing our collective understanding of disease genes and the human genome map. Thanks to this work, social workers and a wide range of other medical care providers are able to better understand the personalized nature of illnesses.    Dr. Collins’ work shines a light on the entire spectrum of human conditions, and the need to more fully address the interactions of genes, behavior and the environment.

Dr. Collins’ work has a direct and invaluable impact for our society.  In addition to his long list of contributions to basic genetic research and scientific leadership, Dr. Collins is known for his close attention to ethical and legal issues in research. He has been a strong advocate for protecting the privacy of genetic information and has served as a national leader in efforts to prohibit gene-based insurance discrimination.

We know that understanding genetics is one key to the research work of NIH, because of the way such research changes how disease will be addressed.  For example, in the case of schizophrenia,  this understanding can lead to new possibilities for cure or disease management, but may also  create dilemmas stemming from earlier awareness that a person will develop a disease.  All of these factors have psychosocial dimensions that will benefit from the knowledge, skills and practice of social work.

Dr. Collins leadership and management skills, broad-based scientific knowledge, his understanding of the linkages between research and clinical services, including social work services, his long-standing engagement with the research and advocacy community make him an excellent choice to lead NIH at this time of attention to translational research and personalized medicine.

NASW looks forward to working with Dr. Collins to continue to address the critical issues of health disparities and the elimination of diseases through behavioral change and addressing social and environmental conditions.  Because Dr. Collins understands the field of social work’s contribution to health and well-being, and his commitment to enhancing the health of Americans everywhere, it gives me great pleasure to support Dr. Collin’s nomination and I ask for his confirmation. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours truly,

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH
Executive Director

“United We Serve” is a nationwide service initiative that will help meet growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn. With the knowledge that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, President Obama is asking us to come together to help lay a new foundation for growth. NASW is a partner in this effort

Whether you were already serving your country, or are responding to the President’s call, you have a chance to tell your story of how you are delivering on change in your community.

Whether you are helping those struggling in the current economy, tutoring kids in your neighborhood every day, or anything else, we want to highlight what social workers are doing to strengthen our country.

The discussion touched on some of the reports’ findings that include persistent increases in child poverty and teen pregnancy, food insecurity, and health disparities and the Administration’s plans to address these issues. Administration officials on the call were Tina Chen, Director, White House Office of Public Engagement, Abby Witt, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Office of Public Engagement, and Ken Baer, Associate Director for Communications and Strategic Planning, Office of Management and Budget.

President Obama has selected his nominee for Supreme Court Justice to replace retiring Justice David Souter, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. We asked you earlier this month to contact President Obama and encourage him to nominate a candidate who reflects the diversity of this country. You responded and he listened. If confirmed, Judge Sotomayor will be the first Latina justice and the third female justice to serve on the court.

Action Requested
Please contact your Senators and ask them to confirm the appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.  Click here to send your letter.

Background
Judge Sotomayor has an impressive resume’. She graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal. She worked as an Assistant District Attorney in New York before entering private practice in 1984. She went on to be a federal trial judge on the U.S. District Court and a highly regarded and accomplished appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

NASW believes that Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s compelling life story and her extensive, as well as distinguished, record of judicial service will serve the country well. The federal courts often are called the guardians of the Constitution because their rulings protect the rights and liberties guaranteed by this important document. For many Americans, the federal judiciary is the first line of defense against violations of dearly held constitutional principles; for others, it is the last bastion of hope in a system that has marginalized, mistreated or simply ignored them. The composition of the federal judiciary is a civil rights issue of great relevance to all Americans, because the individuals charged with dispensing justice in our society have a direct impact on civil rights for all. To this end, the federal judiciary must be perceived by the public as an instrument of justice, and the individuals who are selected for this branch of government must be the embodiment of equity as well as impartiality.

In her 17 years on the bench, Judge Sotomayor’s legal opinions reflect the passion and commitment to enrich the lives of ordinary Americans while, also, reaching conclusions that improve America as a country founded on Democratic ideals and principles. Judge Sotomayor and her extensive legal work, in the view of social work, appeals to our nation and can provide insight on those issues which divide America and undermine the lives of vulnerable populations. In our system of checks and balances, the Senate has the constitutional role to advise and consent on federal judicial nominations. NASW affirms that Judge Sonia Sotomayor meets the criteria that is appropriately applied to nominees to these positions and should be confirmed.