Health Practice Tools

Interdisciplinary collaboration can be one of the most rewarding, yet challenging, aspects of social work practice. It’s also increasingly essential, regardless of practice setting or client population.

Social work in hospice and palliative care requires a high level of professional knowledge and skill. NASW has long advocated for professional social work qualifications in hospice and palliative care. In recent years, however, the federal government has downgraded the qualifications needed to practice social work in hospice settings. This change is part of a deprofessionalization trend affecting social workers and clients in a variety of practice settings

Palliative and hospice social work is a significant and growing specialty area of practice requiring specialized knowledge and skills. The profession’s leadership in hospice and palliative care necessitates a multipronged approach: enhancing social work practice in palliative and hospice care; advocating both for palliative and hospice social work and for consumers who use these services; and educating the public about palliative care, hospice, and how social workers support individuals and families coping with serious or life-limiting illness.

Social workers in a variety of treatment settings may interact with clients or patients who have an advance directive or other documents related to health care proxy decision making or clients who would benefit from executing such a document or documents.

Health insurance exchanges are a hallmark of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Exchanges are state-based health insurance marketplaces, where individuals and small businesses can purchase affordable health coverage. Designed to create a more organized and competitive system for buying health insurance, exchanges will offer a choice of different health plans, certify participating plans for compliance with federal requirements, and provide information to help consumers better understand their insurance options and make informed choices. Low-income individuals will receive federal subsidies to cover the cost of insurance purchased through the exchanges.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as the new health reform law, expands care and services to a number of low- and moderate-income, non-elderly individuals and families, who otherwise may have had limited or no access to health insurance coverage. With the current economic instability, financial insecurity, and increased poverty rates, many adults—both men and women—struggle to provide basic needs of food, shelter, and health care for themselves and their families.