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

NASW was a proud co-sponsor of the celebration of Women Appointees of the Obama Administration. Sponsored by the Coalition for Women’s Appointments (of which NASW is a member), the event, held on September 29, was appropriately held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC.

Irene Natividad, Chair of the Coalition for Women’s Appointments and President of the Global Summit of Women welcomed the large group and spoke of the importance of recognizing women’s talents in government. Over 335 appointees were present. Nancy Hogan, Director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel remarked that we will need a bigger room next year as over a thousand women have been appointed so far with 143 being Senate approved. She also pointed out that although we’ve made great strides, women are still underrepresented. She further challenged us to find five qualified women to sign on to White House Presidential Appointments Application website.

Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Executive Director of the Council for Women and Girls also spoke about the issues concerning women and girls and the responsibility of all of federal government to address these challenges. We have worked consistently with Ms. Tchen and she looks forward to continuing her work with the women’s groups.

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offered remarks as well. The Coalition for Women’s Appointments identified Secy. Sebelius as their first choice for Secretary of HHS. She spoke of the importance of health care reform, noting that it is the number one issue for the Administration and likened it to the struggle of the suffragettes who worked for many years for passage of the 19th Amendment. She stated that, “reform will change the world for women.”

Secy. Sebelius also introduced social worker Carmen Nazario, who was recently appointed as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. Until her recent nomination, Carmen Nazario was an Assistant Professor at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, where she taught social policy and coordinated the Social Work Practicum at the School of Social Work. Nazario has vast experience in public service with a focus on improving services to children and families within the United States and around the world, dating back to 1968.

In an effort to keep you informed of the work NASW is doing on health care reform, we will periodically send out a roundup of activities.

5 Things to Do For Health Care Reform

1. Attend a Town Hall Meeting in your area and discuss what you would like to see in health care reform.
2. Contact your members of Congress about health care reform.
3. Submit your health care stories to the White House.
4. Keep informed of developments on health care reform.
5. Join the NASW Advocacy listserv to be alerted of developments in health care reform.

President Addressed Joint Session of Congress to Discuss Health Reform

On September 9, President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to lay out his plan for health reform.  The speech was viewed as a way to restart and focus the discussion on Capitol Hill on health reform legislation.  The President offered additional details to further shape the debate and move closer to consideration and passage of a final proposal.   The three main principles President Obama outlined to make his case for health reform include the following:

• Provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.
• Provide insurance to those who don’t.
• Lower the cost of health care

To read the plan, please go to:  White House plan

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Announces Release of Health Reform Bill

On September 16, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Senate Finance Committee Chairman introduced his highly anticipated health reform bill.  America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 would make major changes to the nation’s $2.5 trillion health care system, including requiring most people to purchase insurance coverage or pay a fine and prohibiting insurance companies from charging more to people with serious health problems.  NASW is currently analyzing the bill and will release a summary focusing on NASW concerns.   A press release and summary of the bill can be found at: Finance summary. The entire bill can be found at: Finance bill. NASW is working with coalition partners now on developing a response to the bill. When complete, our comments will be posted on our website at: NASW’s health reform page.

Senator Harkin is Chairman of Senate HELP Committee

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) took over as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee after the death of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).  Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), who was serving as the Acting Chairman of the HELP Committee, chose to remain as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.  Senator Harkin has a proven record of support for health related issues as long time Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education and Related Services.  He will remain as Chairman of that subcommittee.

HHS Releases New State by State Analysis Regarding the Uninsured

On September 16, the Department of Health and Human Services released a new state by state analysis of last week’s U.S. Census numbers regarding the uninsured.   Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated, “Our health care system has reached a breaking point. The status quo is unsustainable, and continuing to delay reform is not an option.”  Some of the conclusions of the report include the following:

• Nationwide, the number of uninsured has increased from 39.8 million in 2001 to 46.3 million in 2008.
• Across the nation, more and more working Americans are uninsured, left without protection from health care costs.
• In nearly every state, private coverage is eroding with the percentage of people covered by employer-based coverage decreasing.
• Even among high-income households, the ranks of the uninsured are rapidly growing

To learn more and view state by state data, please go to:  http://www.healthreform.gov/healthcarestatus.html.

NASW Cosponsors Senate Health Disparities Briefing

On September 22, NASW, in conjunction with the National Working Group on Health Disparities and Health Reform, is cosponsoring a senate briefing, entitled, “The Cost-Savings of Reducing Health Disparities in Health Reform.”  The focus of this briefing will be to highlight the costs associated with health disparities in our country, as well as the cost-savings we would realize from reducing these critical disparities. Within that context, the briefing will include discussions such as why data collection is critical, and issues regarding workforce development, language access, health coverage, quality, prevention, and economic costs and savings.

Comparison of Health Care Reform Proposals

We have posted on our Health Care Reform Web page a document compiled by Alston and Bird, LLP that compares the three health care reform proposals in Congress.

• $40 billion to expand the Pell grant program that aids low income students
• $10 billion to help community colleges increase enrollment and enable students to obtain a higher education
• $8 billion to help states improve early learning programs for children from birth to age 5
• $2 billion for historically black colleges and universities and other minority serving institutions

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

I attended an event at the White House this morning, September 18, 2009, with First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls Tina Tchen. The focus of this meeting was to discuss the impact of health care reform on women and families. Many important women’s organizations were represented as well as health care reform advocates. The First Lady said that she invited the people who have been “fighting for decades for equality for women.”

I was happy to be able to speak with Dr. Dorothy Height, President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women and the civil rights legend and social worker we are proud to name the Social Work Reinvestment Act after. The First Lady began her remarks by thanking Dr. Height for attending the meeting and telling her that she is her inspiration.

Several women discussed their own challenges with the healthcare system including burdensome debt from skyrocketing costs, untreated illnesses, and worries for their children and families. The First Lady discussed how this issue disproportionately affects women, as we are not only responsible for most of the family care giving, but also are more likely to work part-time or in small businesses, making insurance unaffordable and inaccessible for many women. Mrs. Obama stated that “women are being crushed by healthcare costs.”

Mrs. Obama discussed the difficult experiences of “sandwich generation” women. NASW has understood the burden of the sandwich generation for quite some time as many women (and many social workers) are tasked with caring for their children and their elderly relatives. Mrs. Obama discussed the implications of this saying, “it’s not a family issue or an economic issue. It’s a healthcare issue.”

With personal anecdotes and stories about her own family, Mrs. Obama communicated an urgency that healthcare reform cannot wait. If women do not receive proper care and treatment, then their families and children will suffer as a result. This situation is untenable for our nation, and in particular for the social work profession as we seek to contribute to healthy individuals, families, and communities. The First Lady ended her remarks with a call to action saying, “Channel our passion into action. Mobilize like we’ve never mobilized before. Educate our members on not just what’s at stake, but what it all means. Make our voices heard right here in DC.” As supporters of universal care for all, we will do just that.

Betsy Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH
Executive Director

Yesterday I had the nice opportunity to meet informally with Congressman Ed Towns (D-NY) and three of his staff members. Congressman Towns is the lead sponsor of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act. He is also a staunch advocate for our profession, as he began his career as a social worker. I was joined by fellow social workers Jeane Anastas, the Chair of the Action Network for Social Work Education and Research and  Freddie Avant, President of the Baccalaureate Program Directors of Schools of Social Work. The first thing Rep. Towns said was that he felt social workers were more needed now than ever.  We couldn’t agree more. That led us to further discussion of why our Social Work Reinvestment bill (H. R. 795/ S. 686) is so essential to ensuring a sufficient workforce to care for the ever increasing need for our services. It is wonderful having a social worker in Congress who understands and fully supports our profession.

Find out more about the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative including the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act! Take action today by contacting your Representative and Senators in support of the legislation!

Dear Colleagues,

As an early career social worker, I’ve quickly realized that we have a lot of work to accomplish to ensure that our profession survives and thrives and that we can continue to care for the millions of clients who need our services every single day.  Many of my peers have found that low salaries, high educational debt, or safety concerns are a frustrating, but undeniable part of their social work careers. The profession might be losing potential students and experienced social workers due to these workforce issues. At the same time, due to a collapsed economy and healthcare crisis among other reasons, our clients have never needed us more to guide them to needed resources, counsel them on important life decisions, and advocate with them and on their behalf.

I hope you will take a moment to view this video NASW just recorded for you regarding the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 795/ S.686). This legislation is a first step to address all of these workforce challenges and determine the best course of action to strengthen our profession. The bill is important to all social workers, and in this brief video we explain why leaders like Frances Perkins, Dorothy Height, and Whitney Young provide lessons for us to learn from and a legacy we must continue. I hope we can count on our fellow social workers to stand up for our profession as we have always stood up for our clients.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth F. Franklin, MSW
Project Manager & Lobbyist
Social Work Reinvestment
Video: Click here for the written remarks

Send a letter in support of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act to your Representative TODAY!

Send a letter in support of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act to your Senators TODAY!

Read the full text of HR 795 and S. 686 or a summary sheet.

Learn more about the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative

www.socialworkreinvestment.org