Category: Public Policy & Service Access
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Unauthorized Marketplace Enrollments Need a Consumer Repair System, Not Only a Fraud Crackdown
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced on September 22 that it was canceling approximately 315,000 unauthorized Marketplace enrollments covering more than 760,000 people. CMS estimates that the action will return about $2.2 billion in federal subsidies. Those numbers show the scale of the integrity problem. They also describe hundreds of thousands of people…
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Medicaid Work Rules Will Turn Documentation Into a Health Access Issue
A federal Medicaid community engagement requirement is approaching, and social workers should treat it as a health access issue rather than a simple employment policy. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says states generally must implement the requirement by January 1, 2027. In the affected eligibility groups, continued coverage may depend on whether a…
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Medicare Will Pay for Care Coordination. Social Work Agencies Should Build the Workflow Before October 1
Medicare has created a specific payment for care coordination in the ACCESS Model, and clinical social workers should pay close attention. Licensed clinical social workers who are enrolled in Medicare Part B have been eligible to bill the ACCESS Co Management Payment since July 5, 2026. Federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics become…
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A Missed Ride Is a Service Barrier: Transportation Belongs in Social Work Practice
An appointment is not accessible simply because a provider has agreed to see someone. A person also needs a workable way to get there and return home. Social work agencies should treat that journey as part of service access, especially when their own records describe a missed visit without explaining whether the person could reach…
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A Record Median Income Does Not Mean the Safety Net Can Be Weakened
The United States reached a record real median household income of $87,460 in 2025, according to data released by the Census Bureau on September 15, 2026. The official poverty rate also fell to 10.2 percent. These are important gains. They do not show that economic insecurity has disappeared or that public benefits have become unnecessary.…
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Medicare Fraud That Recruits Through Churches Exploits Social Trust
The Justice Department filed a civil False Claims Act complaint on September 17, 2026, alleging that executives associated with an Atlanta clinical laboratory used testing schemes that targeted faith communities and older adults. The government alleges that Medicare paid millions of dollars for testing generated through unlawful kickbacks and without individualized judgment from a treating…
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Language Access Belongs in the Social Work Service Budget
A social worker cannot meaningfully assess a person’s needs if the conversation depends on words that person cannot understand. Yet language assistance can be treated as an inconvenience to arrange after an appointment has begun. Social work agencies should regard competent interpretation and understandable written information as part of the service they are responsible for…
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SNAP Access for Older Adults and People with Disabilities Needs More Than a Website
A benefits portal can make an application easier for one person and harder for another. Someone who cannot reliably use a screen, upload documents or reach an office still needs a workable way to seek food assistance. Social work agencies should treat that access problem as part of their service responsibility. USDA’s guidance on SNAP…
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A Referral Should Start a Service, Not End a Social Worker’s Responsibility
A person asks for help keeping the lights on and leaves with three telephone numbers. The agency records a referral. Whether any of those numbers leads to assistance may remain unknown. That gap deserves a place on social work’s reform agenda: a record of activity should tell us something about what happened to the person…
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Advocacy Should Explain Funding Choices Without Ranking Human Worth
When social workers advocate for an organization, they often have to explain why it should receive money that could support another urgent need. That responsibility requires more than a moving account of suffering. It requires an argument about what a particular allocation can accomplish, who will benefit, and what happens to people whose needs remain…