(June/July 1999)

The Chapter made the news again–this time as the focus of a New York Daily News feature on the pitfalls of managed care, based on a report by NASW’s Health Care Policy and Practice Network’s Critical Incident Project.

The article, "Managed Care 101" by Amanda Gardner, which appeared on page one of the newspaper’s health and fitness section on May 17, is a consumer’s guide to the managed care system.

"Managed care now administers about two-thirds of all health care in New York City," the article opened, " And while healthy people tend to get good care under this system, people who are seriously ill often have trouble getting the care they need.

"This is the main conclusion of ‘How Healthy is Managed Care?’, a report just out from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Social workers are often the first to hear what kinds of problems people are having: ‘People with chronic illnesses or severe acute illnesses are the ones who see the flaws in the system,’ says Penny Schwartz, PhD., second vice president of NASW. ‘They have problems accessing what they need.’"

The article went on to cite several of the report’s "most egregious cases," including that of a hospital patient with advanced cancer who could not swallow. The managed care organization refused to pay for nutritional  supplements, even though the patient’s doctor had called continuously to get approval. "The patient was starving to death!", noted the report.

For a copy of the report, send a request to: Managed Care Report, NYC Chapter, NASW, 50 Broadway, 10th floor, New York, NY 10004.