clinical social work association

Dear CSWA Members,

As you may have heard, the Senate Finance Committee moved to partially fund the tax reform bill by attaching a repeal of the individual mandate to the tax bill yesterday. The individual mandate – a penalty for mainly healthy people who choose not to get insurance – is a significant part of what makes the Affordable Care Act affordable. Ending the penalty for not having health insurance will disrupt the insurance markets and raise premiums by allowing healthy people to choose not to buy health insurance.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), this proposed policy –the end of individual health coverage requirements – would save the federal government $338 billion by taking health insurance away from 13 million people and raising health care premiums at least 10% higher than they are currently.  There have been other estimates that predict higher premiums of as much as 40%.

The House has already agreed to add this repeal to their own tax reform bill.

This development is one that CSWA strongly opposes.  Please notify your members of Congress at https://www.house.gov/representatives/and https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm with the following message: “I am a constituent and a member of the Clinical Social Work Association.  I strongly urge you to oppose adding a repeal of the Affordable Care Act individual mandate to the tax reform bill in the Senate Finance Committee.  Depriving 13 million citizens of health care they can afford is going to cost all of us more in emergency care and premiums.Tax breaks for the wealthy should not be at the expense of the health of many Americans.  Vote against the repeal of the individual mandate.”

As always, let me know when you have sent messages.

Laura W. Groshong, LICSW, Director, Policy and Practice

Clinical Social Work Association
The National Voice of Clinical Social Work
Strengthening IDENTITY | Preserving INTEGRITY | Advocating PARITY