Archive for the 'Pennsylvania' Category

Last week U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) elevated the issue of health care reform when he hosted a series of town hall meetings around the state. Most recently in Kittanninng, PA, he took questions from 30 constituents in a room of 200 people. Hundreds more waited outside the community center unable to gain entrance. The majority of the questions were from people seriously concerned about health care and who favor reforms that will make coverage more accessible and affordable. Unfortunately, the news media only seemed to capture that rants of the opposition who addressed topics completely unrelated to health care reform.  

The Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign worked with many of our Pennsylvania coalition partners to get people to attend the town hall meeting and to keep the focus on health care. Those gathering with us before the town hall were briefed on how to raise the importance of health care reform and encouraged to focus on the issues like affordability and the urgency to enact meaningful health care reform.

Those opposed to health care reform obviously have a completely different approach, one which we have seen over and over again is intended to derail reform, not contribute to a productive discussion.  We want to give our activists the tools and tips to let their voices be heard on this important issue. HCHCW  and its partners believe that town hall meeting should be a place for constructive dialogue between a Member of Congress and his or her constituents – not a shouting match. 

While it is difficult for direct-care workers to take time from their clients, when workers attend town hall meetings and tell their stories it brings home to our representatives that there are many health care workers who struggle to afford coverage (and many who have no coverage at all). Even if you were not able to attend a town hall meeting, you can still let your voices be heard by sending your senators and representative a message that health care reform that is good for America’s 3 million direct-care workers is good for America. 

Tracy Lawless
PA State Campaign Coordinator
tlawless@phinational.org

Senator Casey with direct-care workers at the annual conference

On July 24, Tracy Lawless, Pennsylvania Campaign Coordinator for HCHCW, participated in a 12-person roundtable discussion sponsored by Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey.  Along with Lawless, representatives from the medical profession, the insurance industry, women’s health organizations, and small business were present to discuss quality affordable health care in America. 

Perhaps no profession has been affected more than the nation’s direct-care workers by the failures of America’s health care system. Currently, only four out of ten home and community-based workers are covered by their employers, and nearly 30 percent lack health coverage of any kind.  Recent studies show that because workers often cannot access coverage through their jobs, the direct care workforce has been shrinking at a time when we need more long-term caregivers than ever before.

“Currently, more than three million direct-care workers care for America’s elders and people with disabilities.  That number is expected to reach four million by 2016,” said Lawless.  “Without real health care reform, America will not have the long-term caregivers we will need in the very near future.”

Typically, members of this workforce make only $17,000 a year, making it difficult to afford current premiums.  Many also suffer from chronic health conditions due to the physical nature of the job, causing long-term care employers to pay high premiums as a “high risk” industry.  Further, these health conditions often require regular prescriptions and treatments.

To that end, Lawless is advocating for coverage that is affordable, excludes risk rating, and incorporates comprehensive benefits and easy enrollment.

“If we can make this health care reform initiative work for the nation’s three million direct care workers,” Lawless said, “it will work for all Americans.”

Allison Lee
National Campaign Manager
HCHCW
alee@phinational.org

“Quality jobs and a living wage are imperative to ensuring that aging and disabled Pennsylvanians receive quality care,” wrote Tracy Lawless, HCHCW PA Campaign Coordinator, in a letter to the editor published on Monday in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“Current research shows that direct-care workers, although they love the work they do, are leaving the industry due to unfair wages and, particularly, a lack of health coverage. Direct-care workers are being forced to decide between caring for our most vulnerable population and caring for themselves and their families.”

Lawless was responding to a Perspectives piece by Jane Miller and Aims C. Coney, Jr. that supported passage of a Pennsylvania bill (House Bill 1247) that provides mental retardation servives for 20,000 Pennsylvanians who are in need.  The bill does not set a requirement for fair pay for direct-care workers who provide the services.

In her letter, Lawless encouraged readers to contact their legislators and ask them to include a fair-pay requirement in House Bill 1247 and urge them to include affordable, accessible health insurance for direct-care workers.

Allison Lee
National Campaign Manager
HCHCW
alee@phinational.org

Congressman Jason Altmire and Tracy Lawless, HCHCW PA

On June 29, Congressman Jason Altmire held a meeting of his Health Care Advisory Board to discuss comprehensive health care reform. Currently, three House committees (Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce; Education and Labor) are focusing on legislation to develop quality affordable health care for all Americans while controlling health care cost growth.

Tracy Lawless, Pennsylvania Campaign Coordinator, attended the meeting on behalf of the direct-care workforce. In Pennsylvania, this group is disproportionately likely to be uninsured, forcing turnover within this industry and making retention and recruitment extremely difficult.

By 2016, Southwestern Pennsylvania will require 6,000 additional direct care workers to satisfy the needs of those that wish to age in place, rather than in a facility.

As the House begins to draft legislation, PHI is urging Congress to specifically include provisions in the bill to the benefit of the nation’s three million direct-care workers and the millions of elders and people with disabilities they serve.

“We have an opportunity to make real changes to impact the long-term care industry and the consumers that rely on direct care workers each day,” Lawless said.

In addition to providing affordable health care coverage for direct care workers, PHI’s requests include grants to support the recruitment and retention of the direct care workforce and to promote the industry. PHI would also like a full review of training standards. Currently, there are no federal training standards for Personal Care Aides and the federal requirements for Certified Nurse Aides and Home Health Aides have not been revised in more than twenty years.

Finally, the organization is suggesting Workforce Data Collection to shape future policymaking designed to meet the growing demand for long-term care services.

The House Tri-Commitee bill  (pdf) was released on Tuesday.

Allison Lee
National Campaign Manager
HCHCW
alee@phinational.org

Last week the Pennsylvania House brought up  House Bill 1, a bill to expand the current adultBasic program to 85,000 uninsured adults who want and need access to affordable health insurance. The bill was debated in the full House and is awaiting final consideration and passage. 

Currently, the state’s adultBasic program provides coverage for 46,000 Pennsylvanians between the ages of 19 and 64. Because of income eligibility, many direct-care workers would be eligible for this program.

House Bill 1 would help direct-care workers not only by expanding coverage to those who can’t afford health care but also by adding vital benefits to the current adultBasic program. Additional benefits provided in the bill include prescription medications, chronic disease management, preventive and wellness care, and behavioral health care. By adding these benefits, Pennsylvania would be able to draw down federal funds to help pay for expanding coverage to more residents.

This program would also be funded through revenues available in the tobacco settlement fund, the Community Health Reinvestment Agreement, the Health Care Provider Retention Account, and a minor change in the state’s unclaimed property program.

We expect the bill to pass in the House this week. But there is still more work to do. You can contact the Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign to learn more about how to contact your state Senators to support this bill and ensure that direct-care workers can have the health care coverage they deserve. www.coverageiscritical.org.

Also of note, Governor Rendell recently signed four other health reform bills that will reduce costs and improve access. These included legislation allowing parents to cover their single adult children up to age 30 on their employer’s health care plan, at the parent’s expense, if their employer is willing to offer such coverage; extending eligibility for federal COBRA to businesses with 19 or fewer employees; prohibiting health care providers from seeking payments for “never events”; and extending the existence of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council through 2014.

Tracy Lawless
PA State Campaign Coordinator
HCHCW
tlawless@phinational.org

Two recent Come Care With Me Days in Pennsylvania garnered media attention in the state.

Representative Mark Longietti

Representative Mark Longietti of Mercer County shadowed direct-care worker Debbie Smith in a group home setting which houses four individuals with mental retardation and additional health complications. In talking about the importance of direct-care workers, Longietti said, “We need them to be here to work and take care of you, and they need to have health care so that they can do this job.” 

The ARC of Mercer County which employs the workers is facing the tough decision that many small businesses face when it comes to health care.  Right now they are trying to decide whether to raise the employee’s co-pays or eliminate family coverage in order to cover the rising costs.  They anticipate that the move will drastically decrease their ability to recruit and retain workers.

The event with Longietti was covered by local television station WKBN:

Senator Jay Costa

In another part of the state, Senator Jay Costa shadowed direct-care worker Mozella Langston in a consumer’s home in Pittsburgh.

The consumer, Mrs. Vidmar, suffers from diabetes, a hip fracture and coronary artery disease.  Langston, like many other home care workers, does not have health insurance.  Though her employer, ResCare offers a health plan, Langston’s low wages prevent her from enrolling.

Mozella Langston, Mrs. Vidmar, Senator Costa, and Nikki Falavolito

ResCare, Inc. Branch Manager, Nikki Falavolito says this is typical of many of their aides to be in this situation. In fact, only two employees out of 60 have enrolled in the employer sponsored insurance. ResCare Home Care offers personalized services for seniors and individuals with disabilities like Mrs. Vidmar. ResCare provides professional nursing, personal care and support, homemaking, respite, and many other services in the home, hospital, and long term care facilities.

Senator Costa helped Mozella with a number of chores including making a sandwich for Mrs. Vidmar.   The day was covered by the Valley Mirror.

• Read the article (pdf)
• Visit Sentor Costa’s Website

The PA HCHCW campaign continues to work with policy makers on solutions to this growing problem.

Allison Lee
National Campaign Manager
HCHCW
alee@phinational.org

Rep. Matt Smith and Mrs. Dombrowski

On Monday, state Representative Matt Smith (D-Allegheny) participated in the third Come Care With Me day as part of a program sponsored by the PA  Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign.  Rep. Smith shadowed direct care worker Faith Buckel as she provided routine in-home care for consumer Ann Dombrowski.  Dombrowski, age 90, suffers from pulmonary disease COPD and Dementia.

Three times a week, Buckel assists Mrs. Dombrowski with such day-to-day tasks as bathing, housekeeping and meal preparation. Dombroski’s family, who noted the strong relationship between Mrs. Dombroski and her caregiver, said that they can’t imagine what they would do without Buckel’s help.  Unfortunately, within the year, they might be facing the  unimaginable.

Rep. Smith with Faith Buckel

Buckel, like a significant percentage of Pennsylvania’s direct care workers, is not offered health coverage as a home health aide, a part-time position she has held with Renaissance Home Care for nearly five years.  Renaissance provides benefits for full-time employees, but cannot afford to cover those working part-time.  Although Faith is covered by her husband’s benefits, that coverage will expire when he retires next year. 

Several studies have shown that a low wage and lack of health insurance forces turnover within the direct care industry and makes recruitment extremely difficult.  As a result, Pennsylvania is facing a shortage of direct care workers for its rapidly growing populations of seniors and people with disabilities.

“Direct care workers provide tremendous service to our Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens,” Rep. Smith said.  “It is incumbent on policy makers to eliminate the high turnover in this field and to work toward attracting and retaining workers in the vital area.”

Renaissance Home Care Community Liaison Kim Imler, who was present for the event, applauded Representative Smith’s interest in this issue.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to have Representative Smith roll up his sleeves and experience firsthand the difficult and incredibly important work that our direct care workers face each day,” she said.

Tracy Lawless
PA Campaign Coordinator
tlawless@phinational.org

Please join the PA-DCW Association at its annual conference on Monday, May 18th in Harrisburg. In support of this conference, The Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign will host a grassroots advocacy training and legislative briefing.

Come help us bring legislators and their staff up to speed on the issues that are most important to the direct care workforce. A slate of issues will be presented to a host of invited lawmakers by the Pennsylvania Direct Care Worker Association steering committee. Topics presented will include:

• Securing health care for all direct care workers
• Getting your CNA certification and recognition as professionals
• Severe worker shortages
• Sustainability and growth
• Educational and career advancement opportunities.

 There will be time for a Q & A session for the legislators, staff, and audience members. Additionally, you can learn how you can advocate for the best environment for the direct care field, using health care reform for health care workers as an example. Get all the tools you need to talk to legislators or write to your newspaper about any issue. Hear directly from legislative staff about current health care reform legislation, as well as someone from the journalism field who can advise you on how to write letters to the editor.
Other workshops will include:

• End of life care
• How to live on $20,000 a year
• Self-defense for women
• Bringing your best self to the workplace
• Reiki for caregivers
• How to initiate culture change in your workplace.

About the DCW Association: Back in 2006, direct care workers around the state convened the Pennsylvania Direct Care Worker Association. Since then, they have grown to include 700-plus members from across the state.  Their mission is to promote compassion and quality care for persons who are elderly, living with disabilities, chronically or terminally ill by providing education, advocacy and support for the state’s direct care profession.

To register or for more information, please contact Brenda Nachtway at 570-412-1446 or brendanachtway@gmail.com. We hope you will “spring into action” with us.

• Dowload conference brochure
  

Tracy Lawless
PA State Campaign Coordinator
HCHCW
Tlawless@phinational.org

On March 12, 2009, home care employer Lori Michael appeared before the Pennsylvania House Insurance Committee on behalf of Health Care for Health Care Workers. Michael’s agency, Lori’s Angels, provides home care to Schuylkill County’s acutely or chronically ill and disabled population.

Michael testified in favor of House Bill 746 (pdf), legislation that would expand access to health care.  According to studies, a lack of health care causes recruitment and retention within the direct care industry to suffer.   Consequently, in sharp contrast to its growing populations of seniors people with disabilities, Pennsylvania is facing a shortage of direct care workers.

“I am convinced that if my employees had an affordable health plan, they would stay with me longer and would continue contributing their skills as personal care attendants and health aides in this much needed field,” said Michael. “ House Bill 746 would make it a bit easier for my business to afford group coverage for these employees.”

House Bill 746 would allow the Insurance Commissioner to define basic elements that must be in “standard plans,” including health care basics like behavioral health.  The legislation would also forbid consideration of health status or gender when pricing insurance plans.

Such measures would directly benefit Michael’s employees, who are typically women who earn poverty-level wages and are exposed to an unusually high risk of illness and injury.  With significantly low income and high-risk work, direct-care workers are typically unable to buy coverage in the individual market.

• Testimony of Lori Michael, March 12, 2009 (pdf)

Allison Lee
National Campaign Manager
PHI
alee@phinational.org

Direct-care worker Brenda Nachtway with Rep. Todd Eachus who was presented with an award

Health activists, providers and consumers gathered in Harrisburg March 8-9 for “Getting Everyone Covered:  A Conference on Health Care Reform”. Among the 200 participants were long term care employers and direct care workers who attended the workshops and plenary session that were highlighted by a variety of health reform leaders and policy makers.

Speakers included Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA in Washington, D.C.; Charlie Lyons, state director for Senator Bob Casey; Governor Ed Rendell; Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario; Senator Ted Erickson; Representative Tony DeLuca; Office of Health Reform Director Ann Torregrossa; and many others. The event was held to prepare advocates to participate in the historic debate around health care that is about to unfold in Washington and in Harrisburg in the months ahead.

The conference kicked off with an advocacy and leadership award that was presented to the House Majority Leader, Representative Todd Eachus.  “Representative Eachus led the effort last year in the House to expand coverage for the uninsured through adultBasic,” said Tracy Lawless, HCHCW State Campaign Coordianator. “Also, through his chairing of the House Policy Committee, he engaged the public across our state in the effort to find a solution to the problems of rising costs and declining access. He deserves this award because of his leadership on this issue. As important has been his passion and concern for the many working-age adults in our state who lack access to health care. He obviously cares about them.”

Direct Care Worker Association, chairperson, Brenda Nachtway, met with Rep. Eachus and asked him to participate in the upcoming DCW Association conference to be held this spring.

Tracy Lawless
HCHCW
PA State Campaign Coordinator
tlawless@phinational.org

Representative Dan Frankel with Susan, a direct-care worker

Last week State Representative Dan Frankel participated in the second HCHCW Come Care With Me Day in Pennsylvania.  As part of the event, Rep. Frankel visited the Essex House, a naturally occurring retirement community, in Pittsburgh, to shadow an in-home care professional and host a community forum with residents and other direct care workers to discuss long term care issues.   

 As the Vice Chairman of the House Insurance Committee, Rep. Frankel is all too familiar with the situation in which uninsured Pennsylvanians find themselves.  “Last year, the state House of Representatives passed a bill that would have helped hundreds of thousands of working Pennsylvanians like these direct-care workers gain access to health insurance, and it would have helped to rein in the cost of health care for everyone. Unfortunately, the state Senate failed to act on that bill, but House Democrats and Governor Rendell will continue working to improve health care in Pennsylvania,” Rep. Frankel said.

In an interview with NPR about the event, Frankel explained the problem further. “It’s ironic that health care benefits have never been part of the compensation package for direct care workers who provide much needed health services. Because of poor pay and a lack of health benefits, there is a high turnover rate and that can affect the consistency of care for the elderly and disabled. ”

As a result, Pennsylvania is facing a shortage of direct care workers for its rapidly growing senior and disabled population. Essex House resident, Bob Siegel who is scooter-bound due to severe arthritis, requires daily in-home care.  Without the use of his legs, he depends on a direct care worker to help him dress and bathe and to prepare all of his meals.  He worries that the shortage of direct care workers will force people in his situation into assisted living facilities and nursing homes.
      
 “Without the skilled health care that I receive daily, I would be helpless,” Siegel said.  “I feel strongly about this issue, because I’m right in the middle of it.  The government needs to address this now.  This cannot wait.” 

“I am encouraged that the Obama administration and many key members of Congress are signaling a commitment to pass comprehensive, substantial health-care reform this year.  Now is the time for Washington to act,” Frankel said.

HCHCW PA is working with state legislators to find solutions to ensuring direct-care workers have access to affordable health insurance. 

Tracy Lawless
HCHCW
PA State Campaign Coordinator
tlawless@phinational.org

State Rep. Jesse White, participated in the first of a number of “Come Care With Me” events sponsored by the the PA Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign. White accompanied local home care worker Karen Goroncy as she visited patient Larry Smith, a 28-year-old man with cerebral palsy.

HCHCW lauched the Care With Me program for legislators and officials across the Commonwealth to highlight the working conditions of home health-care workers. On average, health aides make less than $20,000 per year and often do not have health insurance.

Tracy Lawless, PA State Campaign Coordinator, remarked on the importance of the day. “Representative White was very hands on – cooking breakfast and helping with daily chores for Larry.  It is our hope that Rep. White and other participating officials will take this experience back to Harrisburg.  I know Rep White will think of Karen and Larry when he confronts the significant challenge of making sure the direct-care workforce has health insurance so that workers like Karen can continue to provide quality care to her clients.”

Recently, Gov. Ed Rendell proposed a budget that would increase the enrollement for adultBasic - the state sponsored health insurance program for low income adults- for four years – a measure that White supports. 

“For people who are unable to get health coverage, adultBasic is the only place they have left to turn,” White said. “Unless we increase access to adultBasic, more and more people will be added to the waiting list and the situation is being made worse by the continuing economic crisis.”

According to HCHCW, Goroncy’s modest salary and lack of health insurance make it extremely difficult to stay in the profession that she loves. Making only $10.10 per hour, Goroncy has accrued more than $4,000 of medical debt from treatment for a number of chronic conditions of her own, including emergency room and family doctor visits. In addition to a painful bladder syndrome and a breathing problem, Goroncy suffers from a hernia due to the heavy lifting required of a direct care worker.

As a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington County Health Partners, White has special insight into how the current health-care system affects the lives of area residents.

 ”It’s an extremely broken system,” said White. “It’s a sad state of affairs when people struggle just to pay for health insurance, let alone health care.”

To participate in the Come Care with Me program, contact Tracy Lawless.

Tracy Lawless
PA Campaign Coordinator
HCHCW
Tlawless@phinational.org

I work as a direct care worker for the Passavant Retirement Community Assisted Living Facility and have health insurance through my employer.    Even though I have health insurance, it does not cover most of the prescriptions I need to stay healthy.  For example, I had to change my doctor and four of my prescriptions because the insurance I get through my employer will only allow me to get certain prescriptions. The new prescriptions I got didn’t work nearly as well as the old ones, and I had to still pay $50 dollars out of pocket for each prescription.  That is an extra $200 dollars a month.

I also can barely afford to go to the doctor when I need to.  My co-pays get higher and higher every year, costing $20 to go to the doctor and $75 to go to the emergency room.  I have five children and the co-pay applies to each of them.  The $13 dollars an hour I make as a direct care worker just doesn’t provide me with enough money to pay for me and my children’s medical expenses. I am now spending money on my health that I should be spending on gas and electric bills and things that my children need for school and daily life.

Something needs to change.  If I get sick and can’t get the care I need, not only do I suffer, but so do the people I care for most like my children and consumers I care for at work.

Lori De Hanaut
Direct-Care Worker
Ellwood City, PA

I am a divorced mother of three girls and a grandmother of two.  I turn 52 in January.  Some of you may find that too young to be a grandmother, but I am lucky I can actually  run with my grandchildren.  I have a few gray hair in my head.  I haven’t decided if I will dye my hair when I have more then 10 or leave it alone.  I love how mixed gray looks on other people so I can’t wait to see myself like this one day.  I am the face of direct-care workers.

In 2003,  I lost my job with HUD.  I always had been gainfully employed so healthcare was never a question.  Cobra was offered to me but the cost once unemployed was out of the question.   Around the time I lost my job,  I started helping my youngest daughter and her friends when they needed care for their children, and before long I was running a day care center from my home. I loved working at home because I could now help my own mother, who is physically disabled.    

Then taking care of my mother became my full time job. I am paid to give complete care for my mother through the Delaware County Services for the Aging. 

I love caring for and helping people.  I honestly think I am great at it.  But I have recently begun to think maybe, for my own welfare, I should go out and seek other employment because I need health care.  I can’t go to the doctor when I need to, and I am worried if I get sick or hurt that no one will be there to take care of my mother and my children. 

Health insurance would cost me $450 dollars a month.  I am not making enough money to afford anything even close to that. I am torn between getting a job outside of my house to get health insurance and staying home to take care of my mother, who needs me. I do not want to put my mother into a nursing home. She wants to stay at home where she is comfortable; where she has lived for so many years.

 I never thought I would have to choose between my own health and the health of my loved ones.

Melva Williams
Home Care Aide
Media, PA

The Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign is taking part in the PA Health Access Network conference on health care reform and advocacy in Harrisburg. Policymakers at the national and state levels are focusing on the need to broaden access to medical care, bring rising costs under control, and build a sustainable health system that serves us all. Long Term Care Employers and Direct Care Workers need to have a voice in these reform efforts.

Getting Everyone Covered will bring together policy-makers, advocates, business owners, and citizens who want to fix our health care system. We invite you to join this debate and connect with other people pushing for reform. The conference includes a reception on Sunday evening (March 8 ) starting at 7:00. The formal conference program begins at 10:00 Monday morning (March 9) with the keynote address, which will be followed by workshops and Governor Rendell. The cost for the entire event is $25 per participant; scholarships for hotel accommodations are available. To register online or to review the full conference program go to www.pahealthaccess.org.

Tracy Lawless
PA State Campaign Coordinator
HCHCW
tlawless@phinational.org

Pennsylvania State Capitol

The proposed PA budget unveiled last week increases health care spending by $800 million over the current year’s budget, providing health care for more uninsured adults.  Governor Rendell has proposed expanding the adultBasic program and will include coverage for prescription drugs and behavioral health.

Unfortunately, the adultBasic waiting list has nearly doubled within the last year to 183,000 people. This waiting list is expected to grow to 282,000 by June. The Governor’s proposal will increase the number of low-income Pennsylvanians with state-supported health care insurance by only 50,000. This increased enrollment is proposed as a “bridge” to national health care reform and will expire after four years.

The total state and federal cost for the expanded adultBasic program is projected to be $251.7 million in 2009. More than half of the funds, or $132.9 million, will come from federal matching funds. State funding for the program is derived from existing tobacco and community health reinvestment funds currently used to pay for the adultBasic program. Enrollees will pay premiums for the coverage, depending on their income level. In years three and four, a total of $66.4 million from the state’s Health Care Provider Retention Account will help support the program.

If the legislature passes this proposal, the expanded program will begin providing health care coverage to new enrollees on July 1, 2009, assuming timely passage of state legislation and approval by the federal government for the use of federal matching funds.

The Governor also highlighted efforts to help older adults receive needed support services in their own homes rather than live in a nursing facility – an option that is less expensive to taxpayers. He has proposed consolidating the Department of Aging and the Office of Long-Term Living into one department. The Governor implies that this will enable the state to provide more and better options for tens of thousands of adults with physical disabilities and older Pennsylvanians, supporting them with needed programs and services while providing opportunities to live independently and grow old with dignity.

Tracy Lawless
PA State Campaign Coordinator
HCHCW
tlawless@phinational.org

Independence Hall in Philadelphia

Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance released results of a statewide survey that showed more than one million Pennsylvanians lack health insurance coverage. Meanwhile, a forthcoming report from the PA Center for Health Careers shows that 16% of direct care workers lack insurance coverage, and even higher rates for those working in home and community based services.  That means that direct care workers are twice as likely to be uninsured than the general population of Pennsylvania.

What’s worse, is that the Adult Basic program, a state subsidized health care program, has a waiting list of more than 183,000 people and is expected to grow to well over a quarter million by the end of June 2009. Many people have already been on the waiting list for years according to the state Insurance Commissioner, Joel Ario.

According to the Department survey, most uninsured adults are working, but either are not offered insurance or cannot afford the insurance that is offered to them.  This finding also reflects a common problem seen in the direct care field. Direct care workers are often not offered health care because it is too costly for their employers, because they are not eligible due to part-time work hours, or the premiums are too high. Also, those without insurance are not getting the routine care necessary to prevent or address health conditions before they become bigger problems.  This problem is especially prevalent among direct care workers who are known to have high rates of injuries on the job.

The key findings of the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance survey conducted between September 2007 and May 2008 and the complete press release can be found at  www.insurance.state.pa.us.

Tracy Lawless
HCHCW PA State Campaign Coordinator
tlawless@phinational.org

I work for Passavant Retirement Assisted Living Facility and get health insurance through my employer. Even though I have health insurance, it doesn’t cover my medical needs.

 My doctor would like me to have blood work done because of the medications I take.  I refuse to this because my insurance doesn’t cover those tests and my out of pocket expenses would be too high. I make $15 dollars an hour, and pay $50 dollars a week for my health insurance.  In the past, when I have gotten tests done, I have had to pay a lot out of my own pocket.  It cost me $125 dollars, and if I did that every 3 months, it would be costing me $500 dollars a year. It took me 3 months to pay off that $125, and by the time I paid it off, it was time for another test that I could not afford.

We need more direct care workers that are willing to speak out about their issues with health insurance so that our legislators and the media are more aware of these problems.

Pat Downing
Direct Care Worker
Prospect, PA

In October, the Philadelphia Inquirer covered the story of Karen Goroncy, a direct care worker who goes without health care coverage as she cares for those who need her help.  In a follow up story last week, the Inquirer reported that a generous reader has offered to cover Karen’s costs of health insurance so that she can get the surgery she needs.

“I realize how lucky I am to have the generous support of someone who was moved by my story in the paper.  However, it only makes me think about all of the other of thousands of direct care workers who go without coverage everyday as they take care of clients who need their help.  Generosity is wonderful and I am grateful, but it is not a health care system any of us can depend on.  We need health care reform in Pennsylvania so all direct care workers can have health care.”

Karen represents thousands of direct care workers who cannot afford private insurance and whose employers do not offer insurance do to the high cost of coverage. The PA HCHCW campaign is working hard to make health insurance an option through policy and advocacy. To join the Pennsylvania campaign, email Tracy Lawless, the PA State Campaign Coordinator, at tlawless@phinational.org.

Allison Lee
National Campaign Manager
HCHCW
alee@phinational.org

I work for the Rockwell Assisted Living Facility and get health insurance through my employer. Even though I have health insurance, the only plan I can afford has a $1,500 deductible and very high co-pays. Ironically, the plan I can’t afford is very good with low premiums and little co-pays.

Because I can only afford the plan with the $1,500 deductible, I have thought about not purchasing health insurance at all. Even though I have health insurance, I can’t use it, and therefore see it as a waste of money. However, I keep paying it because I just can’t risk ending up in the hospital and not having any health insurance at all to fall back on.

I need health insurance that I can afford and that provides me with the coverage I need. I need good coverage, and I need it now, before I get sick and can’t provide my consumers with the daily support they need and deserve.

Melanie Knox
West Milton, PA

I have worked in long-term care for 15 years as a nurse aide, RN Supervisor and currently as a Nursing Training and Education Coordinator.  In my current position, obtaining and retaining nurse aids as employees is my biggest challenge.

Part of this challenge involves asking nurse aides to do the mentally and physically challenging tasks for the same wages as the Wal-Mart greeter and with no health care benefits.  From personal experience, working as an aide, the tasks of bathing, feeding, and caring for the elderly is physically taxing and the emotional sacrifices we make are high.  Most direct care workers do this work because we love to care for the elderly regardless of the difficulty of the work.

The growing elderly population and the shrinking staff will continue to affect long-term care until facilities receive more funds.  I am concerned about the low reimbursement rates for Medicaid residents in long term care facilities.  Increasing Medicaid reimbursement for residents in long term care facilities will allow these facilities to provide the much needed health insurance for the direct care workers that they employ. Providing health insurance will in turn retain more employees.  I believe this is something that needs to happen now in order to avoid major economic problems in the near future.

Latrisha Cowan
Reynoldsville, PA

I have been a RN supervisor at a long term care facility for which I have worked for 17 years.  I am currently taking classes for RN to MSN with the hopes of finally reaching my goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.  I have watched many changes over the last 17 years in the healthcare field; some good and unfortunately some bad.

The worst is the inability to obtain and retain nurse aids.  The constant turnover of staff is a snow ball effect from many issues. One issue, however, truly stands out to me:  Direct care workers lack of health insurance. Direct Care Workers endure much more than the average lay person could ever imagine in an eight hour day.  Direct care workers are born compassionate people who are angels in disguise.  It is that compassion that makes us stay in the health care field.  Most of these workers could go to Sheetz or Wal-mart and make the same amount of money and have health insurance coverage.  But they don’t, they choose to stay because they care.  We as a society, we as a state, and we as a community need to take action to retain these angels in disguise.

The ever growing elderly population needs direct care workers.  The issues need to be dealt with soon before there are no more direct care workers.  I believe that providing direct care workers with affordable and accessible health insurance is a start to solving the direct care worker crisis.

Amy Fenstermaker, RN Supervisor
New Bethlehem, PA

I lost my health insurance when I decided to enter my current position as a home-health aide. I have been working in the home-health field for about two years now, yet I do not have any health coverage for myself. Unfortunately in this line of work, my wages are low and it is not possible to afford private coverage. I knew I was taking a chance but there are so many elders and disabled out there who need assistance.

Unfortunately, the time has come where I might possibly need to find a job that offers health benefits. I love my job and do it for the consumers I take care of, regardless of the low wages and lack of benefits. However, I am in desperate need of having my wisdom teeth removed but I simply cannot afford to pay for this procedure on my own. I am not the only one who is faced with this dilemma. Many of us who work in the home-health field are facing the difficult decision of whether or not to keep working without health coverage or find a better position that would offer health benefits. Giving direct care workers health insurance definitely would not only benefit the workers, but would also benefit the elderly population in our state that needs in-home care.

Melissa Prosper
Branchdale, PA

Since I started with the Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign a little over a year ago, it has become apparent that it is the stories, letters, and advocacy efforts of direct-care workers that ultimately resonate with policy makers as well as the public.

The article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about Karen Goroncy and her lack of health insurance highlighted how it impacts her ability to care for her consumer.  Melva William’s letter to the editor in response to Karen’s story voices her own fears about getting sick and not being able to continue to take care of her ailing mother due to her own lack of health insurance. It is these stories that provide a face for the HCHCW Campaign mission.

It is the passion that workers have about improving wages, benefits, and overall perception of their work and the industry that make a difference in our campaign.  If it had not been for one hundred workers across the state who called their legislators back in March demanding that health care be made affordable and accessible, the health insurance reform legislation “PA ABC” may never have passed the House with such success.  Next session, we’ll need that same passion to try and get an affordable health insurance plan passed by both Houses.

In order to continue these efforts, I am looking to meet direct-care workers who are willing to share their personal stories regarding health insurance, participate in “come care with me days”  where they invite a policy maker to their place of work, and ultimately form a committee of workers from across the state who will work together to advocate for affordable and accessible health insurance the direct-care workforce.

In the next few months, I will be traveling to different nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, and the homes of direct-care workers to hold a series of brown bag lunches and small gatherings to talk with workers about the campaign and the variety of activities listed above. With the help of members from the Direct Care Worker Association, I have already scheduled several meetings and brown bag lunches for the fall, as well as collected several new stories to add to the campaign’s story bank.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact me, Simone Baer, at (412) 450-8080 or by email at sbaer@phinational.org.  I’d love to talk with you about joining us in these activities and how your story can make a difference.

Simone Baer
PA Community Organizer
sbaer@phinational.org

The Pennsylvania Senate leadership did not allow a vote on any health care bills before leaving Harrisburg for the year, therefore precluding a vote on Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care (PA-ABC), a health care reform bill that would have provided health care and prescription drug benefits to more than 250,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians, including direct care workers.

Since the House approved PA-ABC last spring, the Senate has repeatedly criticized the plan for its failure to secure a long-term funding source beyond five years.  More recently, as state revenues decreased and the economy collapsed, Senators were hesitant to support a major expansion of a public program like PA-ABC. The Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign, along with other allied organizations, advocated that the possibility of having to cut funding for PA-ABC in five years should not deny thousands who need reliable health care now.

Funding for PA ABC was to come from health account surpluses, smokeless tobacco taxes, and federal Medicaid spending. PA-ABC failed not because of lack of funding but because special interest groups refused to support it.

By providing affordable health insurance, PA-ABC would have created a way for uninsured direct care workers get treatment that they may have delayed and allowed them to begin a pattern of primary care and prevention.  Our entire health care system would have become more efficient as a result.

The Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign will continue to work on this issue until meaningful health care reform becomes a reality. We encourage all direct workers, providers, and consumers in Pennsylvania to express their disappointment to their state Senators.  You can reach your Senator by going to http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ and plugging in your zip code.

Tracy Lawless
Pennsylvania State Campaign Coordinator
Health Care for Health Care Workers
tlawless@phinational.org

An October 6, 2008 story from The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the challenges faced by a Pennsylvania home health aide who lacks health coverage. Read a snippet below and then follow the link to the full article:

A caregiver is denied medical care

The cruel irony of her life is that she cheerfully gives others what she needs – and cannot afford.

By Michael Vitez
Inquirer Staff Writer

WASHINGTON, Pa. – Karen Goroncy, a home health aide, comes to Larry Smith’s small apartment three times a day.

She bathes and dresses him in the morning, prepares his breakfast and helps him into his wheelchair. Smith, 28, who has cerebral palsy, does data entry for a nearby doctor’s office from 9 to 1.

Goroncy returns to make Smith lunch, and again at night to put him to bed.

“Without Shorty,” says Smith, using one of his nicknames for her, “I’d be stuck in bed. I couldn’t work.”

Goroncy, who earns $10.30 an hour, has a hernia from lifting clients like Smith for 25 years. She is 51.

She describes the pain as “a knife sticking in your stomach.” Her doctor wants it repaired immediately. But she does nothing about it.

She says she can’t afford to.

She has no health insurance.

Read the rest of this story at The Philadelphia Inquirer

Related Resources

• Invisible Care Gap: Caregivers Without Coverage - Report shows high rates of injury, inadequate health coverage may result in caregiver shortage.
• The Cost of Frontline Turnover in Long-Term Care (pdf) – Studies show that turnover rates fall when workers receive health insurance benefits. In fact, the provision of health insurance may be more important than wages in reducing turnover.

This week Pennsylvania legislators will decide whether or not to increase access to affordable health care  for 250,000 Pennsylvanians – including many direct-care workers – who have no health insurance. 

We need your help today.   Senate Republicans have not yet agreed to the plan passed by the House and agreed to by the Governor.  Time is running out. If agreement is not reached by Friday, October 3rd, the clock will run out on this legislative session and this opportunity will be lost.

What can you do?  Call or email your State Senator and ask him/her to support PA-ABC – the bill that will provide affordable health insurance for thousands of Pennsylvanians.  Remind your State Senator that the funding set aside for this bill can only be used for health care – nothing else.  You can find the name and contact information for your State Senator at http://www.pasen.gov/ Just enter your zip code in the upper right-hand corner of the page. 

CALL or EMAIL your State Senator today!
Ask your Senator to support the bill to provide affordable health insurance to thousands of Pennsylvanians

Background: Pennsylvania currently has a subsidized health insurance program called adultBasic – but right now enrollment is full and there is a long waiting list.  The Pennsylvania House and Governor Rendell have proposed to increase enrollment in adultBasic to 250,000 individuals over the next five years.  The premium amount would depend on your income.  The money to fund this program will come from a combination of existing tobacco taxes, contributions by Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance companies, the $500 million surplus in an existing state health fund, and federal matching funds.  No new taxes would be involved and this funding can only be used for health care.

As someone who works in long term care and provides care for hundreds and thousands of consumers, you know how crucial it is to have accessible and affordable health care. Perhaps you or someone you know has delayed treatment for a serious medical condition because of lack of health insurance. You can make a difference. We urge you to call or email your Senator today!

Last week, the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, of which HCHCW-PA is member, held a rally in Harrisburg to call on the Pennsylvania State Senate to pass bills that would provide health insurance coverage to thousands of uninsured Pensylvania residents – including many direct-care workers.

Lori Michael, the owner of a home nursing care company in Schuylkill County and an advocate for HCHCW, cited unaffordable health coverage as a major business issue.  Lori spoke about the impact the lack of affordable health insurance has on her ability to retain and recruit direct-care workers to serve the ever growing client base.  “People in Pennsylvania want to age at home,” said Lori Michael, owner of Lori’s Angels in Schuylkill Haven. “We want to help them do that. We need help from state government.”   The rally and Lori’s comments were covered in the Scranton Times and on PCN network.

PA State Senators are back in session and poised to take up health reform over the next two weeks.  If you live in PA, take time now to call your take Senator and urge them to pass health care reform legislation this year.  To find your Senator, visit http://www.pasen.gov/

On September 3, long-term care providers interested in health care reform met with State Senator James Rhoades (pictured) to discuss the health care legislation awaiting passage in the Pennsylvania Senate.

The meeting was organized by a long-term care provider in Schuylkill County, who is concerned about the lack of affordable, accessible health care for her employees. She and other providers joined health care reform advocates from HCHCW and elsewhere to ask the senator to support health care for all Pennsylvanians.  

The group asked the senator to ensure that health care reform legislation accomplish the following goals: 

• Provide financial incentives for small business owners to provide employee coverage by using “community rating” to assess risk and “rate bands” when setting premiums;
• Address the need to provide home care workers and other low-wage earners whose hours are unstable or part-time with access to affordable quality health insurance; and
• Allow direct-care workers to obtain health insurance through the state, which would allow them to continue to work for agencies or the consumer hire program without having to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for those services.  

Tracy Lawless
PA State Campaign Coordinator, PHI’s HCHCW campaign
tlawless@phinational.org

POSTPONED: We’ll be back in touch with future plans.   For more information or to join the campaign, please contact Tracy Lawless at 724-933-6164 or tlawless@phinational.org

EMPOWERING OUR FUTURE: A Conference for Pennsylvania Direct-Care Workers and Supporters

Celebrating the passion, commitment, and leadership that makes quality long-term care possible.

When: October 3, 2008, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Where: Regional Learning Alliance Conference Center (directions)

Download the conference schedule (pdf)

Empowering our Future will bring together an emerging network of workers, worker-advocates, and their supporters who are concerned about the future of long-term care in Pennsylvania. It will provide a unique opportunity for direct-care workers to learn from each other and create new alliances with colleagues from across the state who understand the crucial role direct-care workers play in our state’s long-term care system.

Workshops and activities for personal care attendants, nursing assistants, and other direct-care workers will cover a range of topics, including:

• working with clients with dementia
• resolving conflicts
• managing your personal finances
• communicating effectively with policymakers

Registration

To register, download the Registration Form (pdf), fill it out, and mail with your check for $25 to PHI, P.O. Box 549, Wexford, PA 15090 OR FAX the form to 412-774-1901. The $25 tuition includes breakfast, lunch, and entry to all work sessions and general sessions. Stipends are available for lost work time and gas mileage.

Deadline: Space is limited. Please send the registration form and payment for receipt by September 19, 2008. Participant substitutions can be made prior to the conference by calling 724-933-6164.

Exhibitor Opportunities

The Empowering our Future conference is a great opportunity to show your products and services to a receptive and motivated audience. Exhibitors also enjoy reduced cost advertising benefits in the Empowering our Future brochure and resource guide.

To register as an exhibitor, download the Exhibitor Registration form (pdf), fill it out, and mail with your check for $200.00 to PHI, P.O. Box 549, Wexford, PA 15090.

Deadlines: Exhibitor space is limited. Registrations will be accepted through September 12, 2008, or until exhibit space is sold out. Exhibitors not registered by September 8, 2008 may not be listed in the program and resource guide.

Advertising Opportunities

The direct-care workers expected to attend this event will receive an Empowering our Future brochure and resource guide upon entry. This brochure will be their guide to the conference, and a resource guide for the future. It presents a wonderful opportunity for you to send an advertising message that will be seen and remembered.

To advertise in the conference brochure and resource guide, see our Program & Resource Guide Advertising sheet (pdf), which describes all costs, mechanical requirements, and submission guidelines.

Deadlines: Advertising reservations and payment should be received by August 29, 2008. Advertising materials should be received by September 5, 2008.

Questions? Call 724.933.6164 or email tlawless@PHInational.org.

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