https://goo.gl/ILhY1E
Unfortunately, many of these in-home care aides and even visiting nurses are currently unable to get adequate care for themselves. In an industry that can’t offer its workers consistent hours, many home care providers are unable to find more than 30 hours of work each week and, as a result, may not qualify for employer-provided health insurance coverage.
“But because of the low wages and the hourly structure of this industry — which analysts estimate is worth nearly $100 billion annually and projected to grow rapidly — workers like Thompson often don’t have health insurance. Many home health agencies, 80 percent of which are for-profit, don’t offer coverage, or their employees don’t consistently clock enough hours to be eligible. They generally earn too much to qualify for public aid but too little to afford the cost of premiums.
“It’s a social justice issue. We have a workforce that is the backbone of long-term (care) services, and they themselves don’t have coverage,” said Caitlin Connolly, who runs a campaign to increase home care wages at the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy organization.”