As the April 1 deadline for the 2014-15 New York State budget approaches, more than 5,000 homecare, nursing home and hospital workers rallied in Albany On March 26 for quality long-term care. The reason: New York has begun to shift the reimbursement policies in the homecare and nursing home industries to long-term managed care.
1199SEIU frontline caregivers are raising urgent concerns that the legislature has not put in place sufficient policies to protect against a race to the bottom in the new healthcare marketplace. Safeguards are needed to ensure frontline caregivers have good jobs with health benefits and living wages, and that patients have a qualified, stable and healthy workforce.
Nolasca Vargas, an 1199SEIU homecare worker employed by Family Care, said, “My job is to make sure my clients are well cared for. That means helping them eat, shower and make sure they take their meds. I make sure the house is tidy and the laundry is done. I love to do this and I care a lot about the people I take care of. But I need to take care of myself too. When I was sick and couldn’t come, my clients are upset—they know me and count on me. All I am asking for is to protect the wages and benefits we fought so hard for, so that I can take care of myself too.”
Some 75,000 New York homecare workers have struggled for over a decade to win a minimum wage of $10 and health benefits, but the state has so far not required managed care companies to fully fund those wage and benefit increases. Without a resolution by April 1, many home care workers could see drastic benefit cuts. Others will never get the paid time off and health care that they fought so hard to win. And clients could see massive disruption of their services and relationships with their homecare aides.
“If you get sick, if you have to take a medicine every day like I do, you need to be able to have health benefits so you can get your treatment and go on with your life,” said Irina Ellis, a homecare worker with United Jewish. “We don’t make a lot of money, so when any kind of health emergency comes up, it could ruin my whole life if I don’t have health benefits. I treat my clients with compassion and dignity. That’s what they need. I want to live my life with dignity too.”
“This truly is one of the most pressing issues of our day. How do we ensure that the aging population has access to a rational, just, and compassionate healthcare system,” said 1199SEIU President George Gresham. “We went to Albany to send a strong message to our elected leaders that they must listen to the needs of New York’s seniors, people with disabilities, patients and working people.”
1199SEIU frontline caregivers are raising urgent concerns that the legislature has not put in place sufficient policies to protect against a race to the bottom in the new healthcare marketplace. Safeguards are needed to ensure frontline caregivers have good jobs with health benefits and living wages, and that patients have a qualified, stable and healthy workforce.
Nolasca Vargas, an 1199SEIU homecare worker employed by Family Care, said, “My job is to make sure my clients are well cared for. That means helping them eat, shower and make sure they take their meds. I make sure the house is tidy and the laundry is done. I love to do this and I care a lot about the people I take care of. But I need to take care of myself too. When I was sick and couldn’t come, my clients are upset—they know me and count on me. All I am asking for is to protect the wages and benefits we fought so hard for, so that I can take care of myself too.”
Some 75,000 New York homecare workers have struggled for over a decade to win a minimum wage of $10 and health benefits, but the state has so far not required managed care companies to fully fund those wage and benefit increases. Without a resolution by April 1, many home care workers could see drastic benefit cuts. Others will never get the paid time off and health care that they fought so hard to win. And clients could see massive disruption of their services and relationships with their homecare aides.
“If you get sick, if you have to take a medicine every day like I do, you need to be able to have health benefits so you can get your treatment and go on with your life,” said Irina Ellis, a homecare worker with United Jewish. “We don’t make a lot of money, so when any kind of health emergency comes up, it could ruin my whole life if I don’t have health benefits. I treat my clients with compassion and dignity. That’s what they need. I want to live my life with dignity too.”
“This truly is one of the most pressing issues of our day. How do we ensure that the aging population has access to a rational, just, and compassionate healthcare system,” said 1199SEIU President George Gresham. “We went to Albany to send a strong message to our elected leaders that they must listen to the needs of New York’s seniors, people with disabilities, patients and working people.”
