Health Practice Tools

Social workers serve clients and families who access and benefit from many different programs, several of which are approaching key end dates including the continuous coverage provision in Medicaid and CHIP and the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. This document outlines upcoming dates that may signal changes in health insurance coverage and access to health care services. Social workers are trusted partners in health care and community settings who can help individuals prepare for these changes.

NASW is developing a task force for the revision of the 2013 Guidelines for Social Work Safety in the Workplace. The guidelines were created to establish safety measures and protocols for social workers within the workplace. Social workers utilize these guidelines as a resource to help create, develop, and assist communities, private and public agencies, local, state, and federal policymakers to create a safe working environment in areas where social workers are employed.

In December 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a request for information regarding the Essential Health Benefits covered under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). NASW has long supported the efforts to enhance health and well-being through the ACA. This document provides an overview of the topics that NASW addressed in comments submitted to CMS in January 2023.

The Specialized Practice Curricular Guide for Health Social Work is now available to enhance teaching about health social work. It was developed as part of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 2015 EPAS Curricular Guide Series, and it is one deliverable of Social Work Healthcare Education and Leadership Scholars (HEALS), a multi-faceted grant funded by the New York Community Trust (NYCT). Social Work HEALS was implemented as a collaborative endeavor between national organizations, NASW, NASW Foundation, and CSWE, to strengthen social work leadership in health care education, practice, research, and policy. The Curricular Guide for Health Social Work Task Force included representatives from social work education programs that participated in Social Work HEALS and NASW staff.

The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) is expected to end in early 2023, ending the continuous enrollment requirement in Medicaid and CHIP. State Medicaid and CHIP agencies will start the redetermination process for all enrollees when the PHE ends. This is a critical time for social workers to help individuals and families anticipate the redetermination process that will happen in the months ahead. This blog is intended to provide an overview of unwinding and strategies that social workers can use to help reduce coverage losses.

NASW is a Champion for Coverage and recognizes the importance of social workers who help individuals and families connect to health insurance coverage and health care services. Open Enrollment for the health insurance marketplace is November 1, 2022 to January 15, 2023.