Sample Letter to Congress on Managed Care
USE THIS LETTER AS A TEMPLATE TO SEND YOUR OWN PERSONALIZED
MESSAGE TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS ON THE NEED FOR FEDERAL STANDARDS ON MANAGED
CARE. CHANGE THE LETTER TO MAKE IT A PERSONAL STATEMENT FROM YOU. DO IT TODAY.
THIS LETTER WAS SENT BY NASW TO THE WHOLE CONGRESS. LINK TO FAMILIES USA FOR MORE
INFORMATION ON THE DEMOCRATIC PATIENTS
BILL OF RIGHTS ACT AND THE REPUBLICAN
MANAGED CARE PROPOSALS.
Dear Senator/Representative:
I urge your support for the enactment of federal managed care standards
that can adequately protect consumers and health care professionals. As a health care
consumer, I want to be assured that quality care will be available to me when I need it.
As a professional social worker, I want to know that the need for clinically appropriate
care will be the basis for decisions regarding health, mental health, and addictions’
treatment. Accordingly, I urge you to support the Patients' Bill of Rights Act (H.R. 3605
and S. 1890).
Like the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), I support the
enactment of federal managed care standards that meet the following principles.
- Quality: Managed care plans shall provide the
highest quality care to all enrollees, with independently enforced standards to ensure
appropriate quality health.
- Information: Managed care plans shall provide
consumers with accurate, complete and useful information. Plans shall ensure that
patient-specific information remains confidential.
- Affordability: Managed care plans shall provide
health care that is affordable.
- Choice: Managed care plans shall provide a choice of
qualified health care professionals.
- Access: Managed care plans shall provide timely
access to appropriate care.
- Appropriateness: Managed care plans shall provide
enrollees with a full choice of culturally appropriate benefits, providers, including
facilities, and consumer information.
- Consumer Rights: Managed care plans shall guarantee
protection of basic consumer rights, including the right
- Public Accountability: Managed care plans shall be
accountable to the public and guarantee effective enrollee participation in
decision-making.
- Eliminating Disincentives for Appropriate Care. Managed
care plans shall eliminate financial and other practices that provide incentives for the
denial, limitation or termination of appropriate care.
- Community Benefits: Managed care plans shall be
subject to effective independent consumer oversight and shall respond to community needs
by reaching out to all constituencies, including underserved and special needs
populations, and by improving overall community health.
- Non-discrimination: Managed care plans shall not discriminate
against any consumer or provider in their enrollment, quality, access or other practices.
I hope I can count on your support to enact meaningful, comprehensive
legislation on managed care. Should you have any questions on the Patients' Bill of Rights
Act or NASW’s managed care principles, please do not hesitate to contact Madeleine
Golde, NASW Government Relations Associate, at (202) 336-8237.
Sincerely,
NASW Government Relations Contact:
Madeleine Golde,
Phone: (202) 336-8261 or 1-800-638-8799, extension 237
Fax: (202) 336-8311
E-mail: mgolde@naswdc.org