“There is now a consistent pattern of data showing that homecare workers receiving benefits have a lower rate of attrition and, therefore, a higher rate of stability,” says the latest report from the Los Angeles County In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program.
Impact of Health Benefits on Retention of Homecare Workers: Analysis of the IHSS Health Benefits Program in LA County (pdf) is a follow-up to four reports from 2003-2006, which showed that offering medical benefits to the IHSS home care workers reduced turnover.
The present study, a five-year longitudinal retention analysis, echoes those findings. It also teases out more detail, comparing work patterns for workers who enrolled in the benefits program with those who did not, identifying traits that predict who will enroll, tracking changes in enrollment over time, and more.
Continue reading ‘Study Shows Link Between Health Care and Retention’
A new poll commissioned by the Women’s Voices Women Vote Action Fund found that unmarried women could be a key voting bloc in this election, and that they share key concerns with direct-care workers. But they’re less likely to vote than their married counterparts.
The survey found economic issues are of particular concern to this group. Asked to describe economic changes that would be most helpful, 40 percent identify lowering the price of gas and 38 percent say lowering the cost of health care.
Sounds like what matters to direct-care workers. Getting access to affordable health coverage is a huge economic issue for many our workforce, with nearly one in three lacking insurance and hundreds of thousands more stuck with punishingly high copays and deductibles. And for many home care workers, the rising cost of gas is reaching the crisis point.
Getting out this crucial part of the vote this November can make a big difference to direct-care workers.
Carol Regan, HCHCW National Project Director
cregan@PHInational.org
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