July 6, 2007
Restore Medicare Payments for Clinical Social Workers
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is asking Congress to reverse a rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that reduced clinical social work Medicare Part B payments by nine percent on January 1, 2007. The CMS rule updated several components of the Medicare Part B “Physician” Fee Schedule. This schedule is the payment basis for all health professions that bill Part B, including clinical social workers. By statute, CMS reduced clinical social workers total payments by nine percent to “rebalance” relative payment amounts among all Part B providers, creating winners and losers among the professions.
THE ISSUE AT HAND
The Medicare Part B payment formula is extremely complicated and only Congress can resolve this inequity for clinical social workers (clinical social workers. NASW has joined forces with clinical psychologists who received reductions equal to CSWs to reverse these cuts. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) has sent a “Dear Colleague” to all Representatives in the House asking them to cosign her letter to the committee chairmen who will decide this matter. Only Members of Congress sign “Dear Colleague” letters, and they reflect just the Representatives’ views. Their purpose is to sway other Members of Congress. Therefore, NASW needs Rep. Schakowsky’s letter signed by as many Representatives as possible. NASW asks its members to help us round up their Representatives’ signatures on the Schakowsky “Dear Colleague” letter.
ACTION NEEDED
NASW members are asked to contact their Representative now and urge them to reverse the CSW cuts by cosigning Rep. Schakowsky’s “Dear Colleague” letter. NASW members may use a sample letter to explain their request to their Representative. It is posted on NASW’s Congress Web: Support Schakowsky Dear Colleague
A copy of Rep. Schakowsky “Dear Colleague” may be found here: Rep. Schakowsky “Dear Colleague.” This “Dear Colleague” letter is to be signed by your Representative, it is not necessary for you send it to them. However, you should mention it in your communication and ask them to contact Rep. Schakowsky and sign it.
For further information, contact Jim Finley at NASW: jfinley@naswdc.org.
THANKS FOR YOUR ADVOCACY!
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