Health Policy & News

NASW strongly urges members of the House of Representatives to oppose the American Health Care Act (AHCA) as it is currently written. The association statement also contains actions social workers can take to oppose the bill and resources.

The Affordable Care Act: Contact Your Members of Congress Today. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that has extended health insurance coverage and health services to millions of Americans is at risk.  In the second week of January, Congress passed a budget resolution and began the process to repeal the ACA without any replacement plan.  President Trump then signed an executive order on his first day in office to encourage federal agencies to minimize the impact of the ACA.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have identified pain as a significant public health challenge that affects tens of millions of people in the United States every year (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Pain Awareness Month, which NASW observes this September, offers social workers an opportunity to educate both colleagues and clients about pain—and to highlight resources available to prevent and reduce pain.

This paper looks at the scope of the heroin-opioid epidemic, the bio-psychosocial implications of the crisis, and the national and international drug policy implications of the epidemic the important role that social work can play in joining other stakeholders in addressing this public health crisis, and will make a number of recommendations from an NASW perspective.

Join NASW in celebrating National Hospice & Palliative Care Month this November. This year’s theme highlights that hospice provides the highest quality care for all people coping with life-limiting illness.

NASW members made up more than half of the attendees at the Social Work and Affordable Care Act Summit, held Feb. 7 in Chicago.