NASW Resource Addresses Impact of Changes at HHS

Practice

Many social workers have been wondering how the recent shutdown of the federal government affected Medicare annual enrollment for calendar year 2026. Similarly, questions have arisen regarding the impact of recent changes within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the enactment of the July 2025 budget reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21, also known as H.R. 1) on Medicare coverage for the upcoming calendar year.

NASW Senior Practice Associate Chris Herman, MSW, LICSW, produced a four-part series of Tips & Tools for Social Workers that addresses these questions and provides additional updates. It is available at
bit.ly/NASW-MedicareAEP25.

The series covers:

• Part 1: Medicare Annual Enrollment Basics and the Social Work Role
• Part 2: Navigating Medicare Annual Enrollment for 2026
• Part 3: Out-of-Pocket Health Costs and Financial Assistance for Medicare Beneficiaries in 2026
• Part 4: Other Changes to Medicare Coverage in 2026