March is Women’s History Month and NASW’S longstanding advocacy as well as success on women’s issues prompted an invitation from the Women in Politics Institute to attend a panel discussion and reception acknowledging the contributions of women in government, including those within the Obama Administration.  The event will occur on March 23, 2010 at the Katzen Arts Center on the campus of American University located in Washington, D.C.  Invited guests include the following luminaries: The Honorable Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State, Tina Tchen, Director, White House Office of Public Engagement and Anita McBride, Former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush.

Today the President’s Middle Class Task Force released its annual report with significant recommendations that would provide support for families.   Chaired by Vice-President Joe Biden with social worker Dr. Jared Bernstein serving as Executive Director, recommendations were categorized in the following four areas:

• Protecting Workers and Creating Middle Class Jobs
• Retirement Security
• Balancing Work and Family Responsibilities
• Pathways to the Middle Class
  

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) enthusiastically supports the recommendations of the Task Force and wrote a letter, along with a number of other groups, specifically regarding “Helping Families Balance Work and Caregiving Obligations.” The proposed policies in this area supported our own suggestions and experience in working with families who care for their older relatives.

In 2006 and 2008, NASW, in partnership with the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), conducted research focusing particularly on sandwich generation women (SGW) who were between the ages of 35 and 54 and caring for their own children and aging relatives. Key findings from our surveys support the need for the expanding the Dependent Care Tax Credit, which has only been raised once in 28 years, as well as expanding the $102.5 million Caregiver Initiative, which provides resources for respite care, transportation, and assistance with activities of daily living.

To see all of the letters on this issue, click here.  For more information on the Middle Class Task Force, go to www.astrongmiddleclass.gov.

Within four weeks of taking office, Congress presented a “stimulus package” to President Obama, who signed it.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is now one year old.  About half of the money has been distributed, mostly to states, as well as to extend unemployment benefits, expand eligibility for Food Stamps, support Medicaid for states.  Independent economic analyses of ARRA show where it has been effective.  It’s hard to make the argument that things would have been worse for people without the package, because for many people, their economic situation is difficult and challenging.  However, reading accounts of the mass suffering during the depression makes us glad that we did not have to witness similar challenges.  It was the work of social workers led by Frances Perkins and Harry Hopkins that supported people and institutionalized programs like unemployment insurance and social security to ensure people could be cared for throughout the ups and downs of economic cycles.

NASW, partnering with you, our members, continues this legacy of providing direct aid and advocating for structural economic changes.  (See our advocacy alerts on extending benefits to people who have lost their jobs and supporting Medicaid relief to states.) We look forward to continuing these efforts.

You may find these recent articles of interest regarding the ARRA:   http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/economy/17leonhardt.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes and  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704804204575069772167897834.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories

To read the testimony click here.

On November 5, 2009, NASW submitted testimony in collaboration with the National Child Abuse Coalition, Washington, D.C., to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives, regarding the reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Congress has not yet introduced any legislation in the House or the Senate to reauthorize CAPTA. It is speculated that a bill may not emerge until next session as health care continues to dominate the legislative agenda.

The National Child Abuse Coalition, representing a collaboration of national organizations committed to strengthening the federal response to the protection of children and the prevention of child abuse and neglect, called on Congress to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) programs to provide the core federal policy and support for:

• strengthening the child protective services (CPS) infrastructure;
• promoting community-based services to prevent child maltreatment; and
• initiating research and development of innovative programs to advance the field of prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect.

Testimony highlighted key findings from NASW’s Workforce report, Assuring the Sufficiency of a Frontline Workforce: A National Study of Licensed Social Workers. The study warns of an impending shortage of social workers that threatens future services for all Americans, especially the most vulnerable among us, children and older adults.

NASW Calls for Increased Mental Health Funding

The National Association of Social Workers has joined with the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG), a coalition of national organizations representing the diverse mental health advocacy community, in calling for higher federal funding levels for mental health services, supports and research.  The coalition argues that higher federal funding levels are essential to meet the extraordinary mental health needs of communities throughout the nation, which are especially strained by the extraordinary economic crisis. NASW and MHLG called on the Congress to go above the Administration’s proposed increases for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which includes funding for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

In a coalition letter signed by NASW, the group called for funding increases in overlooked federal mental health programs, including increases for the mental health block grant and consumer-centered programs, among others, whose funding levels have remained stagnant for nearly a decade.  NASW and the coalition are pursuing a comprehensive funding approach, advocating for a broad array of services and supports to address the needs of all communities with many residents who have been affected by the crisis, and because of the likelihood that every state will be forced to reduce services. For a copy of NASW’s coalition letter to Congress, see here. 

Congress Negotiates Health Reform Details

Democratic leaders continue to convene in high level meetings to work out the details of comprehensive health reform bills headed soon to the House and Senate floor. With critical decisions being worked out behind closed doors, advocacy organizations are scrambling to learn how their top priority concerns are faring in the ongoing negotiations. NASW continues to press for a variety of priorities including expanding coverage of the uninsured and ensuring that health disparities are addressed. NASW members interested in learning the details of the various bills may access two new resources to compare the various bills on a wide range of variables.  Follow this link to a new Kaiser Family Foundation’s side by side document comparing the major health care reform bills and also this one of a new Commonwealth Fund analysis of the major health care reform bills.

Social Work Medicare Equity Act Language Included in House Bill

Section 1307 of the House Bill (H.R. 3200) includes language that removes clinical social work services from the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) per diem rate and alternatively authorizes independent practitioners to bill for them independently. With this provision, licensed clinical social workers that participate in Medicare will be able to bill Medicare directly. This is a long-sought change by NASW and a critical parity provision for clinical social workers that will expand the availability of services to certain Medicare SNF residents. 

 Political Climate

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has sent a health care reform bill containing a “state opt out” to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for scoring, or a determination of how much the bill would cost.  The “opt out” would permit individual states to remove themselves from the federal insurance program if they wish.  Sending the bill to the CBO is a strong indication that Reid believes he can pass a “state opt out” bill through the Senate with at least 60 votes (and exactly 60 votes, in all likelihood).  Speaker Pelosi has expressed a strong preference for a bill containing some kind of public option, but has indicated that a “state opt out” would accomplish many of the same goals and does not believe it would hinder the progress of a final bill.  If Sen. Reid can secure 60 votes for this bill, the process of reconciliation with the House bill would then commence, before a final version is sent to the White House.

Best Practices and Lessons Learned: Shaping National Health Care Reform

Kyrsten Sinema, MSW, JD is a social worker, NASW member and a member of the Arizona legislature, serving as Arizona’s Assistant House Democratic Leader. She led a Lunch Time Series teleconference to discuss federal health care reform. Sinema is one of 32 state legislators nationwide — the only state lawmaker from Arizona — selected for President Obama’s White House Health Reform Task Force. She provided an overview of the various health reform proposals being considered. NASW members can read the transcript online.

Benjamin Confirmed as U.S. Surgeon GeneralOn October 29, the full senate unanimously approved Regina Benjamin, MD as U.S. Surgeon General.  The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government.

First announced as the U.S. Surgeon General nominee on July 13, 2009, Dr. Regina Benjamin was the founder and chief executive officer of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in La Batre, LA, the immediate past chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States and previously served as associate dean for rural health at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. In 2002, as the president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, she became the first black woman to be president of a U.S. state medical society. 

NASW supported Dr. Benjamin’s confirmation.

Video: Can We Live up to the Social Work Legacy?

Please take a moment to view a 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 serious workforce challenges such as low salaries, high educational debt, and safety concerns and will 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. NASW hopes we can count on our fellow social workers to stand up for our profession as we have always stood up for our clients.

NASW Attends Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference

On September 13-15 NASW attended the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Conference. On September 23-26, NASW attended the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). The Public Policy Conference and the ALC featured issue forums that focused on issues ranging from poverty and economic issues to housing, health and veterans.

HHS Secretary Sebelius Announces Senate Confirmation of Carmen Nazario as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the United States Senate unanimously confirmed social worker Carmen Nazario as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. In that role, she will oversee the Administration for Children and Families within HHS.

“Carmen Nazario has a distinguished record of more than 40 years working in human services at every level of government, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors,” said Secretary Sebelius.  “She has devoted her career to developing and implementing programs that promote the well-being of children and families, and she will build on that important work as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.” (more…)

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. For ongoing information, please visit our health care reform page.

Congress Advances Health Care Reform

Congress made major progress last week on health reform legislation. House leaders continued to negotiate merging three somewhat different committee versions of their bill into H.R. 3200. The final House language for H.R. 3200 could be released this week and Democratic leaders plan to begin floor votes within three days of release.  The design of a public insurance option remains a sticking point in the bill, along with payment rates for providers that participate in the public plan. NASW has supported this House effort, including the public option.

In the Senate, the Finance Committee has largely completed their version of reform legislation and received a favorable cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, which has boosted its political prospects. NASW has important reservations with the Senate Finance Committee bill, including the number of people excluded from coverage after full implementation, the omission of direct billing privileges for clinical social workers serving nursing home residents covered by Medicare, the failure to boost payment rates for psychotherapy services under Medicare, and the omission of a strong public option. NASW will await receipt of final Senate language before taking a position on floor consideration, which could begin next week. Senate floor consideration will continue for perhaps several weeks, and a number of amendments and key votes are expected during the debate. For more details on NASW activities, visit our webpage here.

African-American and Latino Organizations Join Forces to Push for Health Care Reform

On October 5, the country’s largest African-American and Latino organizations announced they are joining forces with other major national civil rights and grassroots organizations to mobilize the nation’s 100 million people of color for a final push in support of universal health care reform.  NASW attended this press conference, works with these groups, and is a member of the Leadership Council on Civil Rights. The organizations included the NAACP National Voter Fund, the National Council of La Raza, the Leadership Council on Civil Rights, the Campaign for Community Change, and the United States Student Association and PowerPAC.org.

The groups released television and print ads in English and Spanish that will run in four states with sizable African-American and Latino populations, part of a grassroots effort to ensure that members of Congress appreciate the importance of reform to the people of color they represent.  Those four states are Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas.

The ads can be viewed at www.healthequityforall.org.

Administration Announces Parity Regulation Delay

The new federal mental health and addiction services parity law, P.L. 110-343, passed in October 2008, requires that regulations be issued by Oct. 3, 2009; however, HHS Secretary Sebelius announced on October 2 the new rules will arrive late. Said Sebelius in her letter to Capitol Hill offices, “We (Dept. of Labor/DHHS) are committed to ensuring access to these critical services, and it is our goal to issue regulations by January 2010 that will address the key issues…”  According to Sebelius, the Department received over 400 public comments in response to a regulatory notice published this spring. NASW submitted comments at that time.

The effective date of the new law is for health plans with renewal dates beginning on or after January 1, 2010. Employer groups of fewer than 50 employees are exempt from the new requirements, but all other private insurance plans, including those covered by ERISA, are subject to the new federal requirements. According to the law, health insurance plans that offer any level of mental health or substance abuse treatment benefits must offer them at parity level with other health care benefits available under the plan. With the delay in the new regulations, health plan administrators will lack guidance on technical issues in the law, although they will still be required to follow the law or risk administrative and legal action by employees or state regulators for non-compliance. For more information about the law, see NASW’s Legal Issue of the Month for January 2009

On October 5, the country’s largest African-American and Latino organizations announced they are joining forces with other major national civil rights and grassroots organizations to mobilize the nation’s 100 million people of color for a final push in support of universal health care reform.  The organizations included the NAACP National Voter Fund, the National Council of La Raza, the Leadership Council on Civil Rights, the Campaign for Community Change, and the United States Student Association and PowerPAC.org.  NASW attended the press conference

The groups released television and print ads in English and Spanish that will run in four states with sizable African-American and Latino populations, part of a grassroots effort to ensure that members of Congress appreciate the importance of reform to the people of color they represent.  Those four states are Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas.

The ads can be viewed at www.healthequityforall.org.

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.