(November/December 1998)

In early October, a meeting convened by State Assemblyman John Ravitz, a social work graduate from NYU, with a representative of the Governor's office and leading staff in the State Department of Health, focused attention on the need for addressing psychosocial issues affecting the health care of people on Medicaid. The meeting was especially important as the State is moving rapidly to enroll Medicaid recipients into managed care plans.

Discussion focused on the historical role social workers have played in health care and its omission in managed care. The state officials responded very favorably to an analysis of the issues contained in the paper titled "Social Work and Managed Care: The Impact of Social Risk on Health Care Delivery and the Need for Social Services". The paper was written by members of a coalition including NYC and NYS NASW and the New York State Association of Deans of Schools of Social Work.

As an outcome, the state agreed to explore what, if anything, managed care organizations are doing to address psychosocial issues in health care and the utilization of social workers.

Chapter leaders attended this meeting with leaders of the New York State Chapter of NASW and a representative of 1199, the union which represents social workers in voluntary hospital settings.

The meeting was one in series addressing social work in Medicaid managed care. A few weeks earlier the same group met with officials from the federal Department of Health and Human Services for the region. The profession's concerns appeared to be recognized at this meeting as well.

Both the federal and state government will play a role in determining whether social work will be required in Medicaid managed care. The meetings were intended to begin a dialogue toward achieving that result.