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.

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!

On Friday, August 14, NASW was invited to the White House for a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss health care/insurance reform and aging issues.  The roundtable discussion was facilitated by Nancy-Ann DeParle, Counselor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform; and Tina Tchen, Director of White House Office of Public Engagement. Valerie Jarrett, Senior Adviser to the President welcomed the groups to the meeting.  The hour-long discussion began after the group watched the President as he conducted a live town hall meeting from Montana.  The specific focus of the meeting was to talk with organizations that had an interests in aging issues. The organizations discussed their views about how to engage older Americans in the health care reform debate, as well as how to dispel myths and offer specific facts about health care reform.

On Friday, August 14, NASW participated in a conference call with the White House to discuss the current status of the health care reform/insurance debate, messaging and strategy.  The White House also announced its new webpage, www.whitehouse.gov/RealityCheck to help separate fact from fiction about health insurance reform.  The conference call speakers included Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; Michael Strautmanis, Chief of Staff to the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement;  Michael Hash and Lauren Aaronson, Senior Advisors; and David Simas, White House Communications Office, Office of Health Reform.

On Wednesday, August 12, NASW was invited to attend a meeting in the Executive Office Building of the White House regarding Women for Health Insurance Reform – Stability and Security for All Americans.   The goal of the meeting was to emphasize how important women are in discussing the need for health care reform.  The speakers for the meeting were Valerie Jarrett, Senior Adviser to the President; Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; David Simas, White House Communications Office, Office of Health  Reform; Buffy Wicks, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; Kavita Patel, White House Office of Public Engagement; and Neera Tanden, Senior Advisor, HHS Office of Health Reform.  The overall message from the meeting was that it is important to remember that reforming the current health care system can:

• ensure health care stability and security for all Americans
• reduce costs to make health care affordable
• bring stability and improved care to Americans by offering new consumer protections
• protect a patient’s  choice of doctors, hospitals, and insurance plans
• assure quality affordable health care for all Americans

The White House also discussed eight Health insurance Consumer Protections. They can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections

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