Health Practice Tools

This is an important year for social workers to help individuals connect to health insurance coverage as states conduct Medicaid and CHIP redeterminations and process disenrollments. Social workers can communicate the value of health insurance coverage and help clients connect with local assistance to apply for coverage that fits their needs. Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace begins November 1^st 2023 and goes through January 15^th 2024. To secure coverage for January 1^st 2024, individuals must enroll by December 15^th 2023.

National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Task Force for Clinical Social Work Practice Standards is pleased to announce the attached draft entitled, "NASW Standards for Clinical Social Workers in Social Work Practice," is now available for public comment. draft offers guidance to clinical social workers in all clinical settings and serves as a benchmark for the services they provide.

The public comment period begins July 28 and ends September 15. 2023. The document is available for review at .

Social work’s expertise in addressing social needs extends to understanding the connection between health and the natural environment. This blog outlines key environmental health initiatives created by the Biden Administration that inform social work practice and provide opportunities to support individuals and families at the local level.

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.