Category: Public Policy & Service Access
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Fifteen Percent Lost Medicaid for Procedural Reasons in May. Social Work Must Treat Administration as Policy
The Medicaid and CHIP snapshot released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on August 28, 2026 should be required reading for social-work leaders. It shows not only who is covered, but how administrative systems produce coverage loss. In May 2026, 73.5 million people were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP: 66.4 million in Medicaid…
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The $20,500 MSW Financing Cliff Is Here—and Private Credit Is Becoming an Admissions Requirement
August 24, 2026 For students beginning graduate social work education this fall, July 1 changed the meaning of admission. The federal government eliminated new Grad PLUS borrowing and placed most graduate programs under an annual Direct Loan limit of $20,500 and an aggregate graduate limit of $100,000. Programs classified as “professional” receive much higher limits—$50,000…
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New York’s $4,500 Field-Practicum Bill Is a Start—not a Wage
August 23, 2026 A New York bill now before the Legislature would create a four-year paid field-practicum pilot for MSW students. Assembly Bill A9379B, amended June 1, would provide a $4,500 stipend for the first 450 hours of required practicum to students attending CSWE-accredited programs in the state. The arithmetic is clarifying: $4,500 divided by…
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The $20,500 MSW: Federal Loan Limits Are Forcing Social Work to Confront Its Price
August 2026 A student deciding whether to begin an MSW this fall is confronting a different financing system from the one that existed a year ago. Beginning July 1, 2026, new federal rules cap Direct Unsubsidized Loans for graduate students at $20,500 per year and $100,000 in the aggregate. Graduate PLUS loans, which previously allowed…
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Nebraska’s Medicaid Work Rule Turns Social Workers into Eligibility Infrastructure
August 24, 2026 Nebraska is now the first state implementing the new national Medicaid work-requirement framework, and the consequences will become visible during this summer’s renewals. Since May 1, many adults covered through Medicaid expansion have had to demonstrate qualifying work, school, apprenticeship, training, or volunteer activity. Existing members with coverage periods ending on or…
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Eighty Hours to Stay Insured: Medicaid’s 2027 Work Rule Is a Test Social Work Cannot Ignore
August 2026 On January 1, 2027—or sooner in states that choose early implementation—millions of adults will enter a new Medicaid eligibility regime. Under a federal interim final rule issued June 1, 2026, many nonpregnant adults ages 19 through 64 in the Medicaid expansion group must document 80 hours a month of employment, education, a work…